Terrain

Rugged mountain chains make up a large part of Georgia's terrain; about a third of that area is covered in woods. The main ridge of the Greater Caucasus forms the country's northern border; the southern border is formed by the Lesser Caucasus and the peaks of Mount Ararat. The country's highest peak is Mt. Mqinvartsveri or Gora Kazbek (5,048 m). The area between these two mountainous regions forms the Colchis plain. Georgia's two largest rivers are the Kura and the Rioni.

Climate

Georgia's climate varies greatly and can be divided into different zones that range from subtropical, moderate, cold and dry, to those with glaciers. Tbilisi has an average temperature of 1°C in January and 25°C in the summertime.

Fauna/Flora

In spite of the fact that it is relatively small, Georgia has an extremely diverse flora as a result of the interaction of its various climatic zones. The mountain ranges that surround Georgia mean that it is almost geographically isolated, which has in time led to there being many species of plants and animals. Forests cover around 38% of the country; approximately 2.7 million hectares. Georgia has about 1,000 species of animals, which include 330 species of birds, 48 species of reptiles, 11 species of amphibians, and 160 species of fish.

History/Politics

The first inhabitants of present-day Georgia were Neolithic groups who came to the region from the 5th millennium BC onwards. Ionian Greeks colonized the area in the 6th century BC, which was then made up of the Colchis and the Iberia kingdoms. In AD 66 it became part of the Roman Empire. Christianity was introduced, which meant that close relations with the Byzantine Empire developed in the 4th century AD. It remained within the empire's sphere of influence until the 7th century AD, when it was occupied by the Arabs.

In the 11th century the Turks invaded the region, but in the 12th century King David IV expelled the Turks and turned the area into a united kingdom. In the 13th century, the kingdom was destroyed as a result of Mongol invasions. In the middle of the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks conquered the Byzantine Empire, which marked the beginning of three centuries of alternate Turkish and Persian rule and the area was later divided between the two. Towards the end of the 18th century, King Herekle II succeeded in bringing the eastern part of Georgia under his control. As a result of the country's fragile independence, Herekle sought protection from the Russian Empire, which annexed Georgia in 1801.

During the 19th century, Georgia was subject to an intensive process of Russification, which meant it was prohibited to use and teach the Georgian language, its church was divided, and Russian colonies were moved to Georgian territory. This process did not, however, prevent a strong sense of nationalism from forming in Georgia. In 1905, there was an uprising in the countryside and an industrial strike which resulted in martial law being imposed to put an end to the protests.

In 1918, after the Russian Revolution, Georgia declared its independence. However, in 1921, the Red Army occupied the country and turned it into an autonomous republic within the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (SFSR). When the Transcaucasian SFSR was dissolved in 1936, Georgia became a Soviet Socialist Republic. Over the decades that followed, the Soviet government imposed Russian culture, which gave rise to nationalist feelings. In April 1991, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia called for a popular referendum, in which its independence was approved.

The Georgian government declared the country's independence in April of the same year and elected President Gamsakhurdia. That year, a struggle for power developed between the different factions led to inter-ethnic conflicts between the Abkhaz and the Ossetians, who were demanding more autonomy.

These conflicts escalated to the point that between 1991 and 1993 there was a civil war which sent President Gamsakhurdia into exile. He was succeeded by Eduard Shevardnadze. The struggle for power came to an end at the beginning of 1994 when Gamsakhurdia died. In February of the same year, Georgia and Russia signed a friendship treaty and in April a peace treaty was signed with the Abkhaz rebels. Eduard Shevardnadze won the Presidential elections in 1995 and 2000.

In November 2003, Mikhail Saakashvili led the "Rose Revolution" which led to the overthrow of Shevardnadze and the naming of a new interim President. In January 2004, Saakashvili won the Presidential elections with an overwhelming majority.

Economy

Soon after its separation from the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Georgia introduced a series of economic and market reforms, which included the introduction of a new currency, the Lari, in 1995. These reforms were reflected in the increase in foreign investment, as well as in prices, which led to a series of conflicts which not only impeded the country's economic growth, but also resulted in an economic crisis, due to a lack of supplies.

In 2001, the government disclosed an anti-corruption programme, which led some international organizations to give Georgia loans to support its programme to decrease its budget deficit and stabilize the economy. The unemployment rate was 17.1% in 2003 and the inflation rate was 4.4%.

Culture

Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is famous for its historical monuments and wonderful architecture. Some of its most distinctive buildings are the Sioni Cathedral (5th century), the Anchiskhati Basilica (6th -7th century) and the Narikhala Fortress (4th century). From the 6th to the 7th century, Georgian literature was religious and monasteries were the centre for literature.

Translations of the Bible are the main works from that period. In the 18th century, the foremost writers were David Guramishvili and the poet Bessarion Gabashvili. In the 19th century, romanticism was the dominant style, as seen in the work of Alexander Chavchavadze, Nikoloz Baratashvili, and Grigol Orbeliani.