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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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