The country's Western orientation soon led to worsening relations with Russia, which culminated in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, and entrenched Russia occupation of a portion of Georgia. In Greek mythology, Colchis was the location of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts in Apollonius Rhodius' epic tale Argonautica. 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. [344] The Georgian folk song "Chakrulo" was one of 27 musical compositions included on the Voyager Golden Records that were sent into space on Voyager 2 on 20 August 1977. Georgia is a representative democracy governed as a unitary parliamentary republic. [61] Despite a punitive campaign subsequently launched against Qajar Iran in 1796, this period culminated in the 1801 Russian violation of the Treaty of Georgievsk and annexation of eastern Georgia, followed by the abolition of the royal Bagrationi dynasty, as well as the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church. [33] In the 4th century BC, a kingdom of Iberia an early example of advanced state organization under one king and an aristocratic hierarchy was established. The self-designation used by ethnic Georgians is Kartvelebi (, i.e. Officially autonomous within Georgia,[216] the de facto independent region of Abkhazia declared independence in 1999. In addition, 435 were wounded, including 35 amputees. This came under criticism from human rights activists[210] and led to protests. (2002). The executive branch of power is made up of the Cabinet of Georgia. [114] In an interview published in Kommersant, South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said he would not allow Georgians to return. Georgia: in the mountains of poetry 3rd rev. [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. Following the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia strongly pursued a pro-Western foreign policy; it introduced a series of democratic and economic reforms aimed at integration into the European Union and NATO. Around 23,000 Georgians fled South Ossetia as well. Between 6001,000 metres (1,9693,281ft) above sea level, the deciduous forest becomes mixed with both broad-leaf and coniferous species making up the plant life. With the death of Nader Shah in 1747, both kingdoms broke free of Iranian control and were reunified through a personal union under the energetic king Heraclius II in 1762. [322], Tbilisi has become the main artery of the Georgian educational system, particularly since the creation of the First Georgian Republic in 1918 permitted the establishment of modern, Georgian-language educational institutions. [80] In August 1991, Romania became the first country to recognize Georgia. For much of the 20th century, Georgia's economy was within the Soviet model of command economy. Georgia (excluding Abkhazia) was one of the six republics along with Armenia, Moldova and the Baltic States who boycotted participation in the March 1991 union-wide preservation referendum. Thousands of people gathered outside the Central Election Commission to demand a new vote. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia emerged as an independent republic under German protection. The southern portion of the country is bounded by the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. [220] Georgia considers the regions as occupied by Russia. Iranian elements in Georgian art and archeology", Ethnic tensions: War in the Caucasus is Stalin's legacy, "Georgian World War II hero's remains return home". Among other things a flat income tax was introduced in 2004. [9] On March 31, 1991, a referendum was held on the restoration of Georgia's independence on the basis of the Independence Act of 26 May 1918. Meanwhile in Georgia, the communists terrorized dissidents, abolished democratic freedoms and persecuted the Church. 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. [citation needed] The general landscape of eastern Georgia comprises numerous valleys and gorges that are separated by mountains. [18] The name Sakartvelo () consists of two parts. [21] Ancient Greeks (Strabo, Herodotus, Plutarch, Homer, etc.) The 2014 census, carried out in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), found a population gap of approximately 700,000 compared to the 2014 data from the National Statistical Office of Georgia, Geostat, which was cumulatively built on the 2002 census. In February 1921, during the Russian Civil War, the Red Army advanced into Georgia and brought the local Bolsheviks to power. For the U.S. state, see. It was named after George II of Great Britain. By the 1980s, an independence movement emerged and grew quickly, leading to Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union in April 1991. On 2 March 2005, the agreement was signed on the provision of the host nation support to and transit of NATO forces and NATO personnel. "[198], Although Georgia has been very successful in reducing blatant forms of corruption, other more subtle corrupt practices have been noted. This electoral imbalance became a key issue of political and civil society strife in the following years. The revival of the Kingdom of Georgia was set back after Tbilisi was captured and destroyed by the Khwarezmian leader Jalal ad-Din in 1226. [202] Georgia has ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in 2005. [117] Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate republics on 26 August. 1000 of all 4000 higher plants of Georgia are endemic to this country. However, subsequent Iranian and Ottoman invasions further weakened local kingdoms and regions. [14] At the early stage of its appearance in the Latin world, it was not always written in the same transliteration, and the first consonant was being spelt with J as Jorgia. [citation needed], Georgian ecclesiastic art is one of the most notable aspects of Georgian Christian architecture, which combines the classical dome style with the original basilica style, forming what is known as the Georgian cross-dome style. [1] In the Middle Ages, the unified Kingdom of Georgia emerged and reached its Golden Age during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 12th and early 13th centuries. 'Kartvelians'), first attested in the Umm Leisun inscription found in the Old City of Jerusalem. By 1994 the gross domestic product had shrunk to a quarter of that of 1989.[240]. [25][26], The territory of modern-day Georgia was inhabited by Homo erectus since the Paleolithic Era. Communism is both a political system and an economic one. [215], Georgia contains two official autonomous regions, of which one has declared independence. 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 . Georgia had five players in the NBA: Vladimir Stepania, Jake Tsakalidis, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Tornike Shengelia and current Golden State Warriors centre Zaza Pachulia. The first attempt to unite the country occurred under King Parnavaz of Kartli at the beginning of the third century B.C.E. [223][224] The country lies between latitudes 41 and 44 N, and longitudes 40 and 47 E, with an area of 67,900km2 (26,216sqmi). A communist state, also known as a Marxist-Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism-Leninism. Both peasants and workers found expression for their discontent through revolts and strikes, culminating in the Revolution of 1905. [219] This was used as a justification for Russian invasion of Georgia during the 2008 South Ossetia war after which Russia recognized the region's independence. The construction of new highways has been prioritized and, as such, major cities like Tbilisi have seen the quality of their roads improve dramatically; despite this however, the quality of inter-city routes remains poor and to date only one motorway-standard road has been constructed the 1 (S1), the main eastwest highway through the country. [183] Georgia also participated in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; with 1,560 troops in 2013, it was at that time the largest contributor among non-NATO countries[184] and in per capita terms. It's been a communist takeover of our country, and it happened on January 21. [b][10] Tbilisi is its capital as well as its largest city, home to roughly a third of the Georgian population. [100] However, escalating assaults against Georgian villages (located in the South Ossetian conflict zone) were soon matched with gunfire from Georgian troops,[101][102] who then proceeded to move in the direction of the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia (Tskhinvali) on the night of 8 August, reaching its centre in the morning of 8 August. The head of the Bagrationi dynasty Ashot I of Iberia (r. 813826), who had migrated to the former southwestern territories of Iberia, came to rule over Tao-Klarjeti and restored the Principate of Iberia in 813. Georgia (Georgian: , .mw-parser-output .noitalic{font-style:normal}romanized:Sakartvelo, IPA:[skrtvl] (listen)) is a transcontinental country at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. ["Flora of Spore Producing Plants of Georgia (Summary)"]. During the classical era, several independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia, such as Colchis and Iberia. Georgia is developing into an international transport corridor through Batumi and Poti ports, BakuTbilisiKars Railway line, an oil pipeline from Baku through Tbilisi to Ceyhan, the BakuTbilisiCeyhan pipeline (BTC) and a parallel gas pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline. The responsibility for such actions does not cause dangerous consequences for the public. [236], Georgia is home to four ecoregions: Caucasus mixed forests, Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests, Eastern Anatolian montane steppe, and Azerbaijan shrub desert and steppe. It was not until around 2010 that parts of the system became reliable again. 1955 - Nikolay Bulganin replaces Malenkov as prime minister. [182], During later periods of the Iraq War Georgia had up to 2,000 soldiers serving in the Multi-National Force. The party was led by Panteleimon Giorgadze. [218], In both Abkhazia and South Ossetia large numbers of people had been given Russian passports, some through a process of forced passportization by Russian authorities. The Cabinet is composed of ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, and appointed by the Parliament. [176] On 13 December 2016, EU and Georgia reached the agreement on visa liberalization for Georgian citizens. In 2021, Trkiye remained a transit point for FTFs departing Syria and Iraq. Evergreen species such as box may also be found in many areas. Burkhard Herbote, tourism Hero. Russian suzerainty over eastern Georgia was officially finalized with Iran in 1813 following the Treaty of Gulistan. Main exports are ores, ferro-alloys, vehicles, wines, mineral waters and fertilizers. Alexander Mikaberidze wrote that these century-old explanations for the word Georgia/Georgians are rejected by the scholarly community, who point to the Persian word gur/gurn (, 'wolf'[17]) as the root of the word. There are two main climatic zones, roughly corresponding to the eastern and western parts of the country. [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. Their cause was championed by the socialist Mensheviks, who became the dominant political force in Georgia in the final years of Russian rule. The Georgian army was defeated and the Social Democratic government fled the country. The Kartli line prevailed; in 888 Adarnase IV of Iberia (r. 888923) restored the indigenous royal authority dormant since 580. Cart; vintage milk bottle caps Scheduled and chartered passenger ferry services link Georgia with Bulgaria,[276] Romania, Turkey and Ukraine. In a letter on Monday, Raffensperger called on the GOP's congressional leadership to . Greene said that she became a member of Congress in January while "raging against this system, refusing to back down and calling out communism." The congresswoman urged Republicans to oppose the. Its economy is growing at 5 percent per year, and the country ranks ahead of the United States in economic . About 86.8% of the population of Georgia comprises of ethnic Georgians. and Romans (Titus Livius, Tacitus, etc.) In comparison, that places Georgia in the top 50 out of 180 countries, among Central European and Mediterranean EU member states. The track satisfies the FIA Grade 2 requirements and currently hosts the Legends car racing series and Formula Alfa competitions. Many Ossetians living in Georgia left the country, mainly to Russia's North Ossetia. ", "Ruling party in Georgia decisively wins parliament vote", "Georgian government offers concessions to end crisis", "Transparency International urges dialogue with civil society during political crisis in Georgia", "Georgian Dream, Opposition Reach Consensus over Electoral Reform", "Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili as first woman president", "Georgia protests: Tbilisi police fire water cannon at demonstrators", "New EU Proposal: Amnesty for Rurua, Melia, 2022 Snap Polls if GD Gets Less than 43% in Locals", "President Michel to Start Consultations after GD's EU-Brokered Deal Withdrawal", "Mikheil Saakashvili: Georgian ex-president arrested returning from exile", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the Republic of France", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the Federal Republic of Germany", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the State of Israel", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and Japan", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Visa Information for Foreign Citizens", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the Republic of Turkey", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and Ukraine", "Relations Between Georgia and the United States of America", "U.S. On 9 April 1991, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Supreme Council of Georgia declared independence after a referendum held on 31 March. [77] Stalin was to rise to the highest position, leading the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death on 5 March 1953. There were a number of other styles in the past that are not as widely used today. [306][c] 0.7 per cent of those recorded in the 2014 census declared themselves to be adherents of other religions, 1.2 per cent refused or did not state their religion and 0.5 per cent declared no religion at all.