[351], The most popular sports in Georgia are football, basketball, rugby union, wrestling, judo, and weightlifting. [65][66] The Bagrationi royal family was deported from the kingdom. This electoral imbalance became a key issue of political and civil society strife in the following years. In politics, communist parties have absolute power over governance, and elections are single-party affairs. The Georgian railways represent an important transport artery for the Caucasus, as they make up the largest proportion of a route linking the Black and Caspian Seas. [279], The population of Georgia totalled 3,688,647 as of 2022,[280][c] a decrease from a figure of 3,713,804 of the previous census in October 2014. The following four universities are also located in Tbilisi: Georgian Technical University,[324] which is Georgia's main and largest technical university, The University of Georgia (Tbilisi),[325] as well as Caucasus University[326] and Free University of Tbilisi. Beginning in 2007, politicians here have been debating whether or not to change the governmental framework to a constitutional monarchy. [15] Georgia probably stems from the Persian designation of the Georgians gurn, in the 11th and 12th centuries adapted via Syriac gurz-n/gurz-iyn and Arabic uran/urzan. [200] Since 2016 the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index hovers around 56 out of 100 points. He also conducts the highly philosophical toasts, and makes sure that everyone is enjoying themselves. Burkhard Herbote, tourism Hero. [31] In 2013, UNESCO added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the Kvevri clay jars to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[31][32]. Russia received by far the most migrants from Georgia. In recent years, the Patrol Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has undergone a radical transformation, with the police having now absorbed a great many duties previously performed by dedicated independent government agencies. [57] Eastern Georgia (Safavid Georgia), composed of the regions of Kartli and Kakheti, had been under Iranian suzerainty since 1555 following the Peace of Amasya signed with neighbouring rivalling Ottoman Turkey. [86] The revolution was led by Mikheil Saakashvili, Zurab Zhvania and Nino Burjanadze, former members and leaders of Shevardnadze's ruling party. [226], The climate of Georgia is extremely diverse, considering the nation's small size. Georgia ranked number 58 overall in the 2016 NRI ranking,[258] up from 60 in 2015. [335] These cultural, religious, and later political attributes are associated with a European and Western identity, based on a national perception of these attributes that contrasts with surrounding powers. The Georgian envoy in Saint Petersburg reacted with a note of protest that was presented to the Russian vice-chancellor Prince Kurakin. [297] Of the Meskhetian Turks who were forcibly relocated in 1944, only a tiny fraction returned to Georgia as of 2008[update]. The zone is made up mainly of beech, spruce, and fir forests. [27] The earliest evidence of wine to date has been found in Georgia, where 8,000-year old wine jars were uncovered. There are two main climatic zones, roughly corresponding to the eastern and western parts of the country. Coniferous forests only dominate in the Borjomi Gorge and in the extreme western areas. [138] Ivanishvili has since been called the informal leader of Georgia, arranging political reappointments from behind the scenes. Georgia is a representative democratic parliamentary republic, with the President as the largely ceremonial[125] head of state, and Prime Minister as the head of government. Towards 778, Leon II (r. 780828) won his full independence with the help of the Khazars and was crowned as the king of Abkhazia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to oppose a federal takeover of elections and support election law reforms. As result of the mixed proportional-majoritarian system, with a threshold of 5% for the proportional vote and redefined majoritarian districts, only four parties entered parliament, with the Georgian Dream party gaining a constitutional majority of 77% (+36 seats). The Georgian government fled to France where it operated until the early 1930s. [93][94] A bomb explosion on 1 August 2008 targeted a car transporting Georgian peacekeepers. [56], The rulers of regions that remained partly autonomous organized rebellions on various occasions. [76] Georgia would remain an unindustrialized periphery of the USSR until the first five-year plan when it became a major centre for textile goods. As in the western parts of the nation, elevation plays an important role in eastern Georgia where climatic conditions above 1,500 metres (4,921ft) are considerably colder than in the low-lying areas. As Karl Marx, coauthor of the The Communist Manifesto, declared,. [citation needed], In 2005, President Mikheil Saakashvili fired the entire traffic police force (numbering around 30,000 police officers) of the Georgian National Police due to corruption. Other deciduous species include several varieties of maple, aspen, ash, and hazelnut. Scheduled and chartered passenger ferry services link Georgia with Bulgaria,[276] Romania, Turkey and Ukraine. Despite the Soviet takeover, Zhordania was recognized as the legitimate head of the Georgian Government by France, UK, Belgium, and Poland through the 1930s. History of Modern Georgia, David Marshal Lang, p 18. Ca. However, scholars agree that the word is derived from the Karts, one of the proto-Georgian tribes that emerged as a dominant group in ancient times. [citation needed] Three types of polyphony have developed in Georgia: a complex version in Svaneti, a dialogue over a bass background in the Kakheti region, and a three-part partially-improvised version in western Georgia. Salome Zurabishvili is the current President of Georgia after winning 59.52% of the vote in the 2018 Georgian presidential election. One of the key U.S. allies in Eastern Europe, Georgia was the third largest troop contributor in the Iraq War and the largest per-capita contributor to the U.S. led mission in Afghanistan.The United States for its part is actively assisting Georgia . Throughout the remainder of the Soviet period, Georgia's economy continued to grow and experience significant improvement, though it increasingly exhibited blatant corruption and alienation of the government from the people. The 1989 census recorded 341,000 ethnic Russians, or 6.3 per cent of the population,[288] 52,000 Ukrainians and 100,000 Greeks in Georgia. [226] The wettest periods generally occur during spring and autumn, while winter and summer months tend to be the driest. It was an "official" reason, but instability of economic relations with Russia is well known, as they use the economic ties for political purposes. [208] Georgian opposition leader Nino Burjanadze said the accusations of planning a coup were baseless, and that the protesters' actions were legitimate. The country plans to host 11 million visitors by 2025 with annual revenues reaching US$6.6 billion. The Likhi Range divides the country into eastern and western halves. p. 65. [277], Like most native Caucasian peoples, the Georgians do not fit into any of the main ethnic categories of Europe or Asia. The high-water mark of Communist activity in Georgia occurred in the early 1930s, when the state's economy was suffering from the ravages of the Great Depression. [351] Counterfeiting problems stem from mislabelling by foreign producers and falsified Georgian Wine labels on wines produced outside of Georgia and imported into Russia under the auspices of being Georgian produced. The Kingdom of Georgia reached its zenith in the 12th to early 13th centuries. [27] In fact, early metallurgy started in Georgia during the 6th millennium BC, associated with the Shulaveri-Shomu culture. Also, the population registration system from birth to death was non-functional. In economics, the party controls the country's economic system, and private ownership is illegal, although this facet of communist rule has changed in some countries like China. The southern portion of the country is bounded by the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. De facto separate since Georgian independence, offers were made to give South Ossetia autonomy again, but in 2006 an unrecognized referendum in the area resulted in a vote for independence. [citation needed], Religious minorities of Georgia include Muslims (10.7 per cent), Armenian Christians (2.9 per cent) and Roman Catholics (0.5 per cent). The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range plays an important role in moderating Georgia's climate and protects the nation from the penetration of colder air masses from the north. [35][36] From the first centuries AD, the cult of Mithras, pagan beliefs, and Zoroastrianism were commonly practised in Georgia. Georgia, Georgian Sakartvelo, country of Transcaucasia located at the eastern end of the Black Sea on the southern flanks of the main crest of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. The large cross is the cross of St George, the patron saint of Georgia. [282][e] Most of them were deported during World War II.[285]. Western Georgia's landscape ranges from low-land marsh-forests, swamps, and temperate rainforests to eternal snows and glaciers, while the eastern part of the country even contains a small segment of semi-arid plains. [256] A perception of economic stagnation led to a 2019 survey of 1,500 residents finding unemployment was considered a significant problem by 73% of respondents, with 49% reporting their income had decreased over the prior year. Georgian polyphony is based on three vocal parts, a unique tuning system based on perfect fifths, and a harmonic structure rich in parallel fifths and dissonances. In 1121, he decisively defeated much larger Turkish armies during the Battle of Didgori and liberated Tbilisi. Its name stemmed from the term 'Gorn', which was a designation given by Persians to Georgian people. 'Kartvelians'), first attested in the Umm Leisun inscription found in the Old City of Jerusalem. [12] [13] It is a developing country with a very high Human Development Index. [173] The street leading to Tbilisi International Airport has since been dubbed George W. Bush Avenue. [140] Most of Georgian Dream's coalition parties had left the coalition and landed outside of parliament. About 86.8% of the population of Georgia comprises of ethnic Georgians. There is an independent human rights public defender elected by the Parliament of Georgia to ensure such rights are enforced. Consecutive research estimated the 2002 census to be inflated by 8 to 9 percent,[286] which affected the annually updated population estimates in subsequent years. [25][26], The territory of modern-day Georgia was inhabited by Homo erectus since the Paleolithic Era. [citation needed]. The highest mountain in Georgia is Mount Shkhara at 5,203 metres (17,070ft), and the second highest is Mount Janga at 5,059m (16,598ft) above sea level. [166], Georgia is currently working to become a full member of NATO. [67], In May 1801, under the oversight of General Carl Heinrich von Knorring, Imperial Russia transferred power in eastern Georgia to the government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lazarev. [50], The 29-year reign of Tamar, the first female ruler of Georgia, is considered the most successful in Georgian history. [citation needed] The overall region can be characterized as being made up of various, interconnected mountain ranges (largely of volcanic origin) and plateaus that do not exceed 3,400 metres (11,155ft) in elevation. [217] In addition, another territory not officially autonomous has also declared independence. Margvelashvili succeeded president Mikheil Saakashvili, who had served the maximum of two terms since coming to power after the bloodless 2003 "Rose Revolution". [226], Because of its high landscape diversity and low latitude, Georgia is home to about 5,601 species of animals, including 648 species of vertebrates (more than 1% of the species found worldwide) and many of these species are endemics. [59], In 1783, Russia and the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, by which Georgia abjured any dependence on Persia or another power, and made the kingdom a protectorate of Russia, which guaranteed Georgia's territorial integrity and the continuation of its reigning Bagrationi dynasty in return for prerogatives in the conduct of Georgian foreign affairs. [204][205][206][207] While human rights activists maintained that the protests were peaceful, the government pointed out that many protesters were masked and armed with heavy sticks and molotov cocktails. Georgia's Five Cross Flag. Georgian wine making is a very old tradition and a key branch of the country's economy. 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Ossetia Formally Declared Occupied Territory", "The Law of Georgia on Occupied Territories (431-IIs)", 'Caucasus (region and mountains, Eurasia)', "Dramatic Double Sturgeon Discovery in Georgia", "Cybertruffle's Robigalia Observations of fungi and their associated organisms", "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm", "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity Supplementary Material", "U.S. Energy Informationa Administration "World Hydroelectricity Installed Capacity", "World Integrates Trade Solution Country Snapshot Georgia", "Briefing note for countries on the 2020 Human Development Report", "Briefing note for countries on the 2020 Human Development Report": Figure 1: Trends in Georgia's HDI component indices 20002019, Flat taxes could be a flash in the pan, IMF research says, "Frequently Asked Questions: I.
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