Georgia (country)

This article is about the European country. For the U.S. state, see Georgia (U.S. state). For other meanings of "Georgia", see Georgia.

Georgia საქართველო  (Georgian) Sakartvelo
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  ძალა ერთობაშია Dzala ertobashia "Strength is in Unity"
Anthem:  თავისუფლება Tavisupleba "Freedom"
Georgian territory under central control in dark green; uncontrolled territory in light green
Capital and largest city	Tbilisi 41°43′N 44°47′E
Official languages	Georgian Abkhaz
Ethnic groups (2014)	86.8% Georgians 6.2% Azerbaijanis 4.5% Armenians 0.7% Russians 2.1% Others
Religion (2014)	88.1% Christianity —83.4% Georgian Orthodoxy —5.7% Other Christian 10.7% Islam 1.2% Others, including None
Demonym(s)	Georgian
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic
• President of Georgia	Salome Zourabichvili
• Prime Minister of Georgia	Irakli Kobakhidze
• Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia	Shalva Papuashvili
Legislature	Parliament of Georgia
Establishment
• Colchis and Kingdom of Iberia	13th c. BC – 580 AD
• Kingdom of Abkhazia and Kingdom of the Iberians	786–1008
• Unification of the Georgian realm	1008
• Triarchy and collapse of the Kingdom of Georgia	1463–1810
• Georgia within the Russian Empire	12 September 1801
• Democratic Republic of Georgia	26 May 1918
• Red Army invasion of Georgia	25 February 1921
• Independence from the Soviet Union  • Declared  • Finalized	9 April 1991 25 December 1991
• Current constitution	24 August 1995
Area
• Total	69,700 km2 (26,900 sq mi) (119th)
Population
• 2022 estimate	3,688,647 4,012,104 (128th)
• 2014 census	3,713,804
• Density	57.6/km2 (149.2/sq mi) (137th)
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	$61.58 billion (110th)
• Per capita	$16,590 (83rd)
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$17.85 billion (124th)
• Per capita	$4,808 (125th)
Gini (2020)	34.5 medium
HDI (2019)	0.812 very high · 61st
Currency	Georgian lari (₾) (GEL)
Time zone	UTC+4 (Georgia Time GET)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+995
ISO 3166 code	GE
Internet TLD	.ge, .გე
Website www.gov.ge
^ Data not including occupied territories. ^ Data including occupied territories.

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is situated on the coast of the Black Sea and borders Russia to the north, Turkey and Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the southeast. It is largely encircled by the Greater and Lesser Caucasus mountain ranges.

During 1918–1921, and 1991–1995 its full name was the Republic of Georgia. Since 1995 it is Georgia, as written in her constitution. It was part of the Russian Empire and later Soviet Union between 1921 and 1991, but now it is an independent republic. The capital city is Tbilisi. Almost 4 million people live there.

History

Before 15th century

The Georgians have existed as a nation since classical antiquity. Their capital Tbilisi, formerly named Tiflis, was founded in the 5th century, by King Vakhtang I of Iberia. Back then, western Georgia was colonized by the Roman Empire. The Arabs conquered it in 635 AD. Despite centuries of Islamization, the Georgian culture flourished via trade. In the 10th century, Arab influence diminished in the Caucasus. In 1008, the Kingdom of Georgia was formed. It was a major country in the region until the Mongol Empire invaded it in 1223. Georgia was part of the Mongol Empire for a century on and off until 1334, when King Giorgi V took over.

Early modern period

In the 1400s, Georgia dissolved into several principalities. In the 1500s the Persians invaded eastern Georgia four times from 1541 to 1544. In 1555 the Kings of Kartli ruled through the will of the Persian Shahs (kings of a Persian empire).

Modern period

In 1783, the treaty of Georgievsk was signed between Catherine the Great of Russia and King Heraclius II, giving Russia the power to protect Georgia. Then, in 1798 the Persians burned Tbilisi to the ground. From 1811 to 1918, Georgia was under the Tsar of Russia. Their culture survived intact. From 1918 to 1921, Georgia was independent, but then conquered by the Soviet Union (USSR) and colonized, briefly interrupted by Nazi occupation in WWII, until the end of the USSR in December 1991.

Post-Soviet period: 1990s

In 1991, most Georgians voted to restore their sovereignty as a free nation. They then declared their independence. However, the re-established Republic of Georgia saw a bloody civil War that led to the downfall of first-ever president of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Georgia was also involved in War in Abkhazia between 1992 and 1993. They went through a rough patch between 1994 and 1995 when the economy underperformed, despite significant improvements in final years of the 20th century.

Post-Soviet period: 21st century

Since the 2000s, Georgia has been applying for EU and NATO membership. In 2008, Georgia was illegally invaded by Russia and lost 20% of her territory, with Abkhazia and South Ossetia having fallen under Russian occupation ever since.

2024 – present

Since 26 October 2024, the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD), beset with allegations of corruption and pro-Russian authoritarianism, has been accused of rigging the Georgian parliamentary election run on that day. The crisis came to a head when the GD government announced the postponement of EU membership talks until 2028, setting off an intense wave of pro-democracy protests unseen since the 2003 Rose Revolution. Of Georgia's 3.76 million population in 2024, over 100,000 have participated in at least eight Georgian cities.

Geography

A map of Georgia

Georgia is located next to the countries of Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It has a coastline along the Black Sea. It is located at the edge of Europe and Asia. Georgia has many mountains, whose highest point is 5,193 m above sea level. The mountains running through Georgia are called the Caucasus Mountains. The highest mountain in Georgia is Mount Shkhara at 5,193 m. The coastline of Georgia is 310 km long. Georgia has about 25,000 rivers. The largest river is the Mtkvari.

Divisions

Map of Georgia showing the occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region (South Ossetia)

Georgia is divided into 9 regions, 1 city, and 2 autonomous republics. These in turn are divided into 67 districts and 12 self-governing cities.

The region of Abkhazia declared independence in 1999. South Ossetia is officially known by Georgia as the Tskinvali region. Georgia considers both regions as occupied by Russia.

Region	Centre	Area (km2)	Population	Density
Abkhazia	Sokhumi	8,660	242,862est	28.04
Adjara	Batumi	2,880	333,953	115.95
Guria	Ozurgeti	2,033	113,350	55.75
Imereti	Kutaisi	6,475	533,906	82.45
Kakheti	Telavi	11,311	318,583	28.16
Kvemo Kartli	Rustavi	6,072	423,986	69.82
Mtskheta-Mtianeti	Mtskheta	6,786	94,573	13.93
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti	Ambrolauri	4,990	32,089	6.43
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti	Zugdidi	7,440	330,761	44.45
Samtskhe-Javakheti	Akhaltsikhe	6,413	160,504	25.02
Shida Kartli	Gori	5,729	300,382est	52.43
Tbilisi	Tbilisi	720	1,108,717	1,539.88

Culture

About 4 million people live in Georgia. About 1.2 million live in Tbilisi. People from Georgia are called Georgians, most of whom speak Georgian as their first language, though some speak Azerbaijani, Armenian, Russian or other languages as well. Georgians use three alphabets, namely the Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri and Mkhedruli, with Asomtavruli being the very first Georgian alphabet, which was said to be invented by King Pharnavaz I of Iberia. The most famous person to have come from Georgia is Josef Stalin, Soviet Union's totalitarian communist dictator between 1922 and 1953. Most Georgians are Orthodox Christians, but there are Jews and Muslims as well due to partial Arab colonization in the Middle Ages. The currency of Georgia is the lari.

Related pages

• Roman Empire
• Eastern Europe
• Ottoman Empire
• Safavid Dynasty
• Iranic languages
• Sassanid Empire
• Caucasian Albania
• Kingdom of Armenia
• Indo-Iranian peoples
• Indo-Iranian languages
• List of rivers of Georgia
• Georgia at the Olympics
• Indo-European languages
• Georgia national football team