People

Demographics

Georgians (with Mingrelians, Lazes and Svans) form a majority, about 83.8%, of Georgia's current population of 4,661,473 (July 2006 est.) Other major ethnic groups include Azeris, who form 6.5% of the population, Armenians - 5.7%, Russians - 1.5%, Abkhazians, and Ossetians. Numerous smaller groups also live in the country, including Assyrians, Chechens, Chinese, Georgian Jews, Greeks, Kabardins, Kurds, Tatars, Turks and Ukrainians. Notably, Georgia's Jewish community is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world.

Georgia also exhibits significant linguistic diversity. Within the South Caucasian family, Georgian, Laz, Mingrelian, and Svan are spoken. South Caucasian groups other than ethnic Georgians often speak their native languages in addition to Georgian. The official languages of Georgia are Georgian and also Abkhaz within the autonomous region of Abkhazia. Georgian, the country's official language, is spoken by 71% of the population, 9% speak Russian, 7% Armenian, 6% Azeri, and 7% other languages. Georgia's literacy rate is said to be 100%.

In the early 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, violent separatist conflicts broke out in the autonomous regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Many Ossetians living in Georgia left the country, mainly to Russia's North Ossetia. On the other hand, more than 150,000 Georgians left Abkhazia after the breakout of hostilities in 1993. Of the Meskhetian Turks who were forcibly relocated in 1944 only a tiny fraction returned to Georgia as of 2008.

The 1989 census recorded 341,000 ethnic Russians, or 6.3% of the population, 52,000 Ukrainians and 100,000 Greeks in Georgia. Since 1990, 1.5 million Georgian nationals left. At least one million immigrants from Georgia legally or illegally reside in Russia. Georgia's net migration rate is -4.54, excluding Georgian nationals who live abroad. Georgia has nonetheless been inhabited by immigrants from all over the world throughout its independence. According to 2006 statistics, Georgia gets most of its immigrants from Turkey and People's Republic of China.

Today most of the population practices Orthodox Christianity of the Georgian Orthodox Church (81.9%). The religious minorities are: Muslim (9.9%); Armenian Apostolic (3.9%); Russian Orthodox Church (2.0%); Roman Catholic (0.8%). 0.8% of those recorded in the 2002 census declared themselves to be adherents of other religions and 0.7% declared no religion at all.

In Turkey, Georgians form the majority in parts of Artvin Province east of the Çoruh River in Shavsheti (შავშეთი) region (Upper Machakheli in the north of Borçka district, Imerkhevi in the north of Şavşat district, and Murgul district) and in individual villages along the Çoruh valley of Livana (ლივანა) vicinity in the territory of the ancient Georgian regions of Tao-Klarjeti (Klarjeti (კლარჯეთი) is presently a village renamed officially as Bereket in Ardanuç district), southwards to the district of Yusufeli (Kiskim) in Amier-Tao (ამიერტაო) subregion. They also live as Chveneburi (ჩვენებური) muhajirs in various provinces. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the prime minister of Turkey, pronounced his Georgian origins during a visit to Georgia in 2004. The total population of people of Georgian descent in Turkey is estimated to be from 200,000 to 1,500,000.

In Iran, 50,000-300,000 (numbers are not totally known). Modern Georgian immigration to Iran can be traced back to ethic tensions within the Russian Empire. The fall of Democratic Republic of Georgia and the onset of World War I pushed many ethnic Caucasians towards Iran. Cold War politics proved conflicting to Georgians in Iran. While Georgian immigrants wanted to stay in Iran, Soviet Georgian leadership wanted to repatriate them to Georgia. Moscow, however, clearly preferred to keep them in Iran. The Soviet Georgian plans were abandoned only after Stalin realized that his plans to obtain influence in northern Iran foiled by both Iranian stubbornness and United States pressure in Iran. Today, up to 75,000 Georgian Iranians (ფერეიდნელი) live in the twin cities of Fereydan and Fereydoon Shahr where a Georgian Dialect is spoken (Phreidnuli- Similar to Eastern Georgian Dialects). Other Towns such as Najaf Abad, as well as in many other larger Iranian cities, especially Esfahan, Tehran, Shiraz, and Karaj bolster significant Georgian populations. Up to 200,000 full and partial Georgians live in the coastal town of Mazandaran. Moreover, there are up to 5 million people with (partial) Georgian descent (300,000 Georgians were settled in Iran in the 17th century).

14,900 in Azerbaijan, according to official numbers. Most Georgians (known as Ingilos) in Azerbaijan reside in the Kakhi, Belokani and Zakatala districts, which had been known as Hereti until the 15th century and administered by the Georgian kings until the 17th century. These rayons were once part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and part of Georgia under the Transcaucasian SFSR until 1931 when they were transferred to Azerbaijan. Georgia maintains no claims against Azerbaijan over these territories as of present.

Around 200,000 in Russia and another 200,000 throughout the former Soviet Union republics in Europe and Asia.

200,000 in other countries, including the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and France.

There are some 1,000 Georgians in Argentina, in the provinces of Mendoza and Rio Negro. In Rio Negro, Georgian people and their descendants are at the "hippietown" of El Bolson and in the Andes valleys zone (Colonia Rusa in the Alto Valle).

Other countries: Over 18,000 Georgians in Brazil, over 12,000 in Japan, 3,500 in Singapore, an estimated 1,000 in Mexico.

Society

The Georgians are considered culturally and ethnically European. The Georgian language is spoken by about 85% of the population, although Russian is widespread, as one of the last vestiges of the Soviet era.

Like most other groups of the Caucasus, ethnic Georgians have somewhat of a European-like appearance. Georgians are classified like all surrounding groups as Caucasoids, and are often slender with dark hair and dark eyes.

Cities

The capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, was founded in the V century AD by King Vakhtang. The city was built from its thermal waters, and that is why it was called Tbilisi (Tpili) or hot water.

Other major cities are Kutaisi (188,600 inhabitants), Rustavi (117,300), Zugdidi (69,000), Poti (47,400), Sokhumi (43.000), Gori (42,000) and Tskhinvali (7000).

Source: Wikipedia