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GEORGIA

South of the main ridge of the Caucasus, between the Caspian and Black seas, is an area of mountains and plateaus called Georgia. It has an area of 26,900 square miles (69,670 square kilometers). Georgia is bounded on the north by Russia, on the east and southeast by Azerbaijan, on the south by Armenia, on the southwest by Turkey, and on the west by the Black Sea. Until 1991 Georgia was part of the Soviet Union. Tbilisi is the nation's capital.
Most of Georgia is mountainous. It has many peaks higher than 4,500 meters. The lower western slopes and plateaus have a subtropical climate of the Mediterranean type. Citrus orchards, tung trees for oil, vineyards, tea plantations, and tobacco fields grow here. East of the mountainous divide between the Black and Caspian seas, a section of drier land is irrigated to grow cotton, rice, wheat, and barley.
Georgia has a well-developed industrial base, together with its diversified and mechanized agriculture. The republic has some of the world's major manganese reserves. Other deposits include iron ore, arsenic, marble, molybdenum, tungsten, mercury, and gold. There are also fine clays for ceramics, and there is some coal for fuel. The chief manufacturing centers are Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Batumi.
The wide array of industrial products includes railway locomotives, heavy motor vehicles, earth-moving equipment, tea-gathering machines, lathes, and precision instruments. The chemical industry produces mineral fertilizers, synthetic fibers, and medicines. Georgia is also famous for its production of commercially sold wines, and it cures tobacco and tea and produces canned goods. Cotton, wool, and silk fabrics are also manufactured.

HISTORY

The origins of human society in Georgia can be traced to prehistoric times. The Caucasus was regarded by ancient peoples as the home of metallurgy. By 65 BC the region was part of the Roman Empire. Georgia was converted to Christianity in AD 337, and for the next three centuries it was involved in conflicts between the Byzantine and Persian empires. After 654 local authority was exercised by Arab caliphs, who established an emirate at Tbilisi.
During the centuries of close association with the Byzantine Empire, the church grew in strength until it became independent as the Georgian Orthodox church. The church was a leading influence in creating a rich cultural heritage, including works of literature, architecture, and painting. Georgian architecture, in turn, played a large role in developing the Byzantine style.
Invasions by the Mongols from 1220 onward, coupled with the destruction caused by Timur Lenk's hordes between 1386 and 1403, ruined the cultural and economic life of Georgia for centuries. The fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 and successive invasions by Turks and Persians further depressed the area. Between 1801 and 1864 Georgia was gradually annexed by Russia. In the second half of the 19th century, traditional ways declined, Western influences grew, education spread, and industrialization began.
In 1918 the Georgians set up an independent republic and put themselves under German protection. Early in 1921 the Soviet Army invaded Georgia, and a Soviet regime was installed in Tbilisi. Georgia was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. On Dec. 5, 1936, the Transcaucasian republic was dissolved and the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic was established. Georgia became independent republic after the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. Population (1991 estimate), 5,464,200.

TBILISI

The capital of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic since 1921, Tbilisi became the capital of the independent republic of Georgia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
The city stretches for about 19 miles (30 kilometers) along the Kura River, where it separates the Trialeti and Kartli mountain ranges. The city is one of the principal industrial centers of Eastern Europe. Electric locomotives, machine tools, agricultural machinery, and electrical equipment are among the products manufactured here. Other industries include textiles, leather goods and footwear, furniture, glass and porcelain, pharmaceuticals, bricks, and wood products. Foods, beer, wines, liquors, and nonalcoholic beverages are produced.
Tbilisi is a major cultural and educational center for Georgia. It has a university, ten other institutions of higher education, more than 100 research establishments, and the Academy of Sciences of Georgia. There is an Academy of Arts; several theaters for drama, ballet, and opera; a state library; a botanical garden; a film studio; a philharmonic society; and more than 100 libraries. Located in the Old City are ruins and buildings from former centuries, including a 6th-century church and the Narikala citadel.
According to tradition, King Vakhtang Gorgaslan moved his capital in 458 to Tbilisi, which had health-giving hot springs on the site (tbili means "warm"). Over the centuries the city was frequently captured and sacked. Before Arabs conquered it in the 7th century, it had been dominated by Persians and the Byzantine Empire. In 1234 it fell to the Mongols, and in 1386 it was attacked by Timur Lenk, also known as Tamerlane. Finally, in 1801, it was captured by the Russians and became part of their empire until 1991. Population (1989 estimate), 1,260,000.