Introduction
Georgia is a country in Eurasia to the east of the Black Sea, most of which is located in the South Caucasus, while a portion of the territory lies in the North Caucasus. To the north, it is bounded by the Caucasus ridge, to the south by the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, and to the west by the eastern Black Sea coast. Its neighbors are Russia to the nort, and Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan to the south. At the pinnacle of its power (the XII and early XIII centuries), Georgian borders extended as far as the Caspian Sea. It is a transcontinental country located on the border between southeastern Europe and western Asia, but part of Europe in social, political and cultural.
Allegedly, in the earliest geological period, 28-30 million years ago, the isthmus of the Caucasus emerged and the Black and Caspian Seas were split by land, where the first man settled approximately 800 thousand years ago.
The ethnological face of the Caucasus, with its numerous races and tribes, came into being over many centuries and Caucasian political units were developed. Since the ancient times Georgia has been populated by the Georgian tribes (they dwelled to the south as well, reaching the sources of the Tigris and the Euphrates), which gave rise to the Georgian nation or Georgian people.
Mountains are the dominant geographic feature of Georgia. The Likhi Range (or the Surami Range) divides the country into eastern and western halves. At present the official area of Georgia totals 69, 5 sq. km.
The territory of modern Georgia has been continuously inhabited since the early Stone Age. In the classical ancient times two Georgian states emerged, Kolkheti and Iberia, which marked the beginning of Georgian culture and its state.
Georgia has been considered the homeland of wine since ancient times. Archaeological investigations show the existence of winemaking in this country for 7.000 years and many consider that the generic word comes from the Georgian wine "gvino”. Christianity was adopted as the official religion in the ninth century and the country became a unified monarchy in the ninth century, but then has gone through several revivals and overthrows to split into two smaller political units in the sixteenth century.
During the years 1801-1866, Imperial Russia slowly conquered the Georgian lands. Once reinstated as an independent country after the Russian revolution, the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-21) was a victim of the Bolsheviks and became part of the Soviet Union in 1922.
Georgia declared its independence again in 1991. After the civil war and chaos caused by a strict economic crisis, the country became more stable in the late 90s.
The Rose Revolution in 2003 brought to power a young, pro-Western reformer, government. The main priority of the new government, to become a NATO member and unify Georgia was a direct consequence for the rupture of relations with Russia. Furthermore, the country experienced a rapid economic growth as the country became an epicenter for energy projects in Eurasia.
After the fall of the Soviet Union and the Declaration of Independence of Georgia in 1991 as a result of the independence movements in Abkhazia and ethnic conflicts occurring in the region of South Ossetia and Tskhinvali caused territorial problems. Thus, separatist regimes were established between 1991-93. Following the Russian-Georgian military conflict in August 2008, Russia recognized the sovereignty of those regions. Currently, the Russian army, declared as an occupying force by the Georgian Parliament, is present in these republics. Meanwhile, the country tries to recover from the consequences of the conflict.
copyright © Kakha Shengelia
