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Georgia

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Georgia Education

 

 

 



Georgia (country) (Georgian Sakartvelo), republic in the Transcaucasus region of western Asia, bordered by the Black Sea on the west, Russia on the north, and Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey on the south. Formerly Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Georgia includes two autonomous republics—Abkhazia and Adzharia—and one autonomous region—South Ossetia. Georgia, a country of extremely diverse terrain, contains high mountain ranges as well as fertile coastal lowlands. Population is concentrated along the coast of the Black Sea and in river valleys, especially the valley of the Kura River, where T'bilisi, the capital and largest city, is located.

Land and Resources
With an area of 69,700 sq km (about 26,900 sq mi), the Georgian landscape is dominated by rugged mountain ranges, more than a third of which are heavily wooded. The main ridge of the Caucasus Mountains forms most of the republic's northern boundary, and the highest elevations in the republic can be found there. Mount Shkhara is the tallest at a height of 5068 m (about 16,628 ft). It is followed by many other peaks with heights of 4500 m (about 14,765 ft) or greater. The Lesser Caucasus mountains, which occupy the southern part of the republic, rarely exceed an elevation of 3000 m (about 9843 ft). The area between these two mountain systems is generally much lower, especially along the river valleys and the coast of the Black Sea, where elevations are generally less than 100 m (about 328 ft). The two largest rivers in the republic, the Kura and the Rioni, flow in opposite directions; the Kura, which originates in Turkey, runs generally eastward through Georgia and Azerbaijan into the Caspian Sea, while the Rioni drains into the Black Sea to the west. Numerous other rivers flow across the fertile Colchis Lowland, which occupies most of the coastal land on the Georgian side of the Black Sea. Climate in the republic is marked by wide regional variations, ranging from humid, subtropical conditions in the Colchis Lowland to drier and more continental conditions in the eastern uplands. Georgian flora and fauna are equally diverse. Land at lower elevations has been extensively reworked by human activity and contains little of its native wildlife. The grey marmot, ibex, and chamois, however, can be found in alpine areas, and wolves, foxes, roe deer, and badgers populate the forests.

Population
The population of Georgia, which numbered 5,471,000 in 1991, is made up of nearly a hundred different ethnic groups. Georgians comprise the largest group with about 70 percent of the population, followed by Armenians (8.1 percent), Russians (6.3 percent), and Azeris (5.7 percent). Large numbers of Ossetians, Greeks, and Abkhazians also reside in the republic. The predominant religion is Orthodox Christianity, although some groups adhere to Islam, including the Azeris, Kurds, and Adzhars (ethnic Georgians who were converted to Islam under Turkish rule). Judaism is also practiced. Georgian, a unique, non-Indo-European language, is the country's official language, although it is not spoken by many of the ethnic minorities, such as the Ossetians. Russian is still the most commonly spoken language in much of the republic.
About 56 percent of the people in Georgia live in cities. T'bilisi, the capital, is the largest urban area, with a population of about 1,268,000 in 1990. The next largest city, K'ut'aisi, located on the upper Rioni, has 235,000 inhabitants. Other urban centers with more than 100,000 people include Bat'umi and Sokhumi, capitals of the Adzharia and Abkhazia, and Rust'avi, located downstream from T'bilisi and home to the giant Rust'avi Steel Works.

Economy
Agriculture is an important feature of the Georgian economy and, combined with forestry, accounts for a slightly larger proportion of total economic activity—about 37 percent—than industry. Reclamation of swampy coastal lowlands around the mouth of the Rioni River has added much fertile land; this region produces tea and citrus fruit. Other crops are grapes, tobacco, and silk. Livestock raising is also important. Georgia has acquired increasing importance as an industrial region because of the abundance of electric power, mineral deposits (manganese, iron ore, molybdenum, and gold), and fuel (coal and petroleum). Marble, alabaster, and diatomite shale are also mined. Industries produce iron and steel, cement, motor vehicles, and textiles. The Georgian Black Sea coast, an important resort area, attracts visitors from around the world. Ethnic tensions near resort areas, however, reduced the number of visitors in the early 1990s. The cost of military engagement in the autonomous areas also has contributed to a general economic decline in the republic since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. In 1992 net material product dropped by an estimated 30 percent, and consumer prices increased tenfold. In the first eight months of 1993, industrial output fell by more than 30 percent in comparison to the same period in 1992. The value of the Georgian coupon has dropped dramatically since it became the country's only legal currency in July 1993.

Government
The governmental structure of Georgia changed radically after the dissolution of the USSR and developed into a unique system of government. When the first popularly elected president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia (1991-1992), was forced from office in January 1992, the presidency was abolished and the Supreme Soviet, the country's legislature, dispersed. A Military Council was formed, which eventually turned power over to a State Council, a 234-member unicameral legislative body elected by direct popular vote in a system of proportional representation. The chairperson of the State Council performs the functions of head of state and appoints the prime minister, who in turn forms the government. Eduard Shevardnadze, former Soviet minister of foreign affairs, was chosen acting chairman of the State Council in 1992, and later that year he was elected chairman by direct popular vote. The Military Council, which is headed by Shevardnadze, is in charge of security and defense matters. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

History
From about the 6th century BC Georgia was colonized by Ionian Greeks; the western region was known as Colchis and the eastern region as Iberia. In about the 4th century BC Georgia was united into a single kingdom, with Mtskheta as its capital. Christianity was introduced in the 4th century AD. Until the 7th century control over Georgia was contested by the Persian and Byzantine empires. The region was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century and by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century. King David II expelled the Turks in the early 12th century, reuniting Georgia as a kingdom. The kingdom was crushed by Mongol invaders in the 13th century. Thereafter Georgia was under the control of Iran and the Ottoman Empire until the 18th century. A Georgian kingdom was proclaimed in the mid-18th century, but Russia obtained control of the state's foreign affairs in 1783. In 1801 the last Georgian king abdicated, and Georgia became a part of the Russian Empire.
In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, Georgia became an independent state. In 1921 Soviet troops invaded the country, and the region was incorporated into the USSR. In 1922 Georgia was joined with Armenia and Azerbaijan to form the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (SFSR). When the Transcaucasian SFSR was dissolved in 1936, Georgia was made a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. Georgia declared its independence in April 1991. In December of that year, the USSR broke apart.
Serious internal strife has plagued Georgia since the last years of the USSR. With the advent of the policy of glasnost' (openness), brought about by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991), the Abkhazian and Ossetian nationals in Georgia began to agitate for increased autonomy in the late 1980s. Friction between the Georgian government and the ethnic enclaves increased after the Georgian Supreme Soviet passed a law establishing the superior status of the Georgian language in 1989. After South Ossetia declared itself a sovereign republic in 1990, the Georgian Supreme Soviet abolished the region as an administrative entity. Fighting between Georgians and Ossetians ensued and did not abate until a four-party peacekeeping force composed of Russian, Georgian, South Ossetian, and North Ossetian contingents was deployed.
A second conflict developed soon after the election of the country's first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, in May 1991. Gamsakhurdia was driven from office in January 1992 amid charges of corruption, human rights violations, and dictatorial abuse of power. Gamsakhurdia and his followers mounted several attempts to retake T'bilisi by force, and in October 1993 threatened K'ut'aisi. The revolt was suspended after Gamsakhurdia died by apparent suicide on December 31, 1993, or January 1, 1994.
A third conflict began between Georgian and Abkhazian forces after the Abkhaz Supreme Soviet declared Abkhazian independence in July 1992. Georgian authorities sent troops into Abkhazia ostensibly to protect supply routes and pursue forces loyal to Gamsakhurdia. Heavy fighting soon broke out, with the Abkhazian side receiving support from Caucasian peoples of similar ethnic background in Russia. Georgian forces lost considerable ground until a cease-fire agreement was reached in July 1993. The Abkhazians violated the agreement and expelled the Georgian militia and about 200,000 Georgian refugees by October 1993. In the same month the Georgian government joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in order to win Russian military support. An agreement was reached in February 1994 that allows Russia to maintain three military bases on Georgian territory in exchange for military training and supplies. In March 1994 Georgia joined the Partnership for Peace program, an agreement on limited military cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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