It was registered at the Ministry of Justice on 27 February 1998. Georgia is a small country. What Was the USSR and Which Countries Were in It? - ThoughtCo [43] The successful defence against the Arabs, and new territorial gains, gave the Abkhazian princes enough power to claim more autonomy from the Byzantine Empire. Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic - Wikipedia [60], However, despite this commitment to defend Georgia, Russia rendered no assistance when the Iranians invaded in 1795, capturing and sacking Tbilisi while massacring its inhabitants, as the new heir to the throne sought to reassert Iranian hegemony over Georgia. [255] Since 2014, unemployment has been gradually decreasing each year but remained in double digits and worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This period also brought social and economic change to Georgia, with new social classes emerging: the emancipation of the serfs freed many peasants but did little to alleviate their poverty; the growth of capitalism created an urban working class in Georgia. According to the 2014 census, Ethnic Georgians form about 86.8 per cent of the population, while the remainder includes ethnic groups such as Abkhazians, Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Greeks, Jews, Kists, Ossetians, Russians, Ukrainians, Yezidis and others. [133] Georgian Dream was founded, led and financed by tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country's richest man who was subsequently elected by parliament as new Prime Minister. [310], The special status of the Georgian Orthodox Church is officially recognized in the Constitution of Georgia and the Concordat of 2002, although religious institutions are separate from the state. [231], Slightly more than 6,500 species of fungi, including lichen-forming species, have been recorded from Georgia,[232][233] but this number is far from complete. Access to higher education is given to students who have gained a secondary school certificate. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to oppose a federal takeover of elections and support election law reforms. [295][c], In the early 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, violent separatist conflicts broke out in the autonomous region of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region. Thousands of people gathered outside the Central Election Commission to demand a new vote. This was nowhere else more publicly and violently opposed than in Georgia, where in 1956 riots broke out upon the release of Khrushchev's public denunciation of Stalin, which had to be dispersed by military force. [248], Since coming to power the Saakashvili administration accomplished a series of reforms aimed at improving tax collection. [141][142][143] After international mediation to overcome the deep political crisis in the runup to the 2020 parliamentary elections an amended electoral system was adopted, specifically for the 2020 elections. [119] Russian forces left the buffer areas bordering Abkhazia and South Ossetia on 8 October, and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia was dispatched to the buffer areas. [282][d] Georgia was also once home to significant ethnic German communities, numbering 11,394 according to the 1926 census. In response,[95] several South Ossetian militiamen were killed by snipers. With the beginning of perestroika in 1986, the Georgian Soviet leadership proved so incapable of handling the changes that most Georgians, including rank and file communists, concluded that the only way forward was a break from the existing Soviet system. [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. In Greek mythology, Colchis was the location of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts in Apollonius Rhodius' epic tale Argonautica. By 1994 the gross domestic product had shrunk to a quarter of that of 1989.[240]. Various historical regions of Georgia are known for their particular dishes: for example, khinkali (meat dumplings), from eastern mountainous Georgia, and khachapuri, mainly from Imereti, Samegrelo and Adjara. The last Imeretian king and the last Georgian Bagrationi ruler, Solomon II, died in exile in 1815, after attempts to rally people against Russia and to enlist foreign support against the latter, had been in vain. The incorporation of the Golden Fleece into the myth may have derived from the local practice of using fleeces to sift gold dust from rivers. [79] Georgia was the first non-Baltic republic of the Soviet Union to officially declare independence. [117] Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate republics on 26 August. [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. This law prohibits communist symbolism and ideology along with fascist symbolism and ideology. The former communist countries of the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia needed to reform the financing of their healthcare systems and make efforts to strengthen the role of primary care while limiting the role of hospital care. [120][121] Since the war, Georgia has maintained that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are occupied Georgian territories. [58] Heraclius nevertheless stabilized Eastern Georgia to a degree in the ensuing period and was able to guarantee its autonomy throughout the Iranian Zand period. [289] The population of Georgia, including the breakaway regions, has declined by more than 1 million due to net emigration in the period 19902010. p. 65. [351], The most popular sports in Georgia are football, basketball, rugby union, wrestling, judo, and weightlifting. Among other things a flat income tax was introduced in 2004. Since 2004 the Georgian Railways have been undergoing a rolling programme of fleet-renewal and managerial restructuring which is aimed at making the service provided more efficient and comfortable for passengers. Georgia ranked number 58 overall in the 2016 NRI ranking,[258] up from 60 in 2015. [31] In 2013, UNESCO added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the Kvevri clay jars to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[31][32]. [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. Country Reports on Terrorism 2021 - United States Department of State For much of the 20th century, Georgia's economy was within the Soviet model of command economy. [57] Eastern Georgia (Safavid Georgia), composed of the regions of Kartli and Kakheti, had been under Iranian suzerainty since 1555 following the Peace of Amasya signed with neighbouring rivalling Ottoman Turkey. Georgia's destiny will be shaped by its demography [355], The first and only race circuit in the Caucasian region is located in Georgia. [307] In the first half of the 4th century, Christianity was adopted as the state religion of Iberia (present-day Kartli, or eastern Georgia), following the missionary work of Saint Nino of Cappadocia. How did Georgia become the official ITB Host Country? Sport is regaining its popularity in the country in recent years. Unified Communist Party of Georgia. [291] Initially the out-migration was driven by non-Georgian ethnicities but increasing numbers of Georgians emigrated as well,[292] due to the war, the crisis-ridden 1990s, and the subsequent bad economic outlook. The soil in vineyards is so intensively cultivated that the grapevines grow up the trunks of fruit trees eventually hanging down along the fruit when they ripen. [129] In their Democracy Index 2021 report[update] the Economist Intelligence Unit classifies Georgia as a hybrid regime which is above the threshold for an authoritarian regime but below the threshold needed to be classified as a flawed democracy.[130]. [202] Georgia has ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in 2005. The threshold for the proportional vote was lowered to 1%, which resulted in 9 parties being represented in parliament. [177] On 27 February 2017, the Council adopted a regulation on visa liberalization for Georgians travelling to the EU for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period. Since the fall of the USSR in 1991, Georgia embarked on a major structural reform designed to transition to a free market economy. [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. However, scholars agree that the word is derived from the Karts, one of the proto-Georgian tribes that emerged as a dominant group in ancient times. As in the western parts of the nation, elevation plays an important role in eastern Georgia where climatic conditions above 1,500 metres (4,921ft) are considerably colder than in the low-lying areas. 'Kartvelians'), first attested in the Umm Leisun inscription found in the Old City of Jerusalem. [271] Infrastructural development has also been high on the agenda for the railways, with the key Tbilisi railway junction expected to undergo major reorganization in the near future. [254] Georgia's economy is becoming more devoted to services (as of 2016[update], representing 59.4 per cent of GDP), moving away from the agricultural sector (6.1 per cent). What can East Germany teach other former communist countries? Its name stemmed from the term 'Gorn', which was a designation given by Persians to Georgian people. Unified Communist Party of Georgia - Wikipedia On 13 April 2006, the discussion of the assessment report on implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan was held at NATO Headquarters, within 26+1 format. 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. Coniferous forests only dominate in the Borjomi Gorge and in the extreme western areas. Cart; vintage milk bottle caps Those who disagreed were temporarily arrested. The mission and functions of the GDF are based on the Constitution of Georgia, Georgia's Law on Defense and National Military Strategy, and international agreements to which Georgia is signatory. He also conducts the highly philosophical toasts, and makes sure that everyone is enjoying themselves. Georgia country profile - BBC News Ever since its turbulent founding in 1918, Georgia has been highly dependent on the German Empire, the primary nation guaranteeing Georgian independence. Georgia: in the mountains of poetry 3rd rev. Once a Communist Backwater, Georgia Discovered the Benefits of Free [290][289] Other factors in the population decline include birth-death deficits for the period 19952010 and the exclusion of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from the statistics. The Kartli line prevailed; in 888 Adarnase IV of Iberia (r. 888923) restored the indigenous royal authority dormant since 580. [233] According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are 4,300 species of vascular plants in Georgia. The region between Kazbek and Shkhara (a distance of about 200km (124mi) along the Main Caucasus Range) is dominated by numerous glaciers. Georgia was further weakened by several disastrous invasions by Tamerlane. Georgia adopted Christianity in 334, when King Mirian III of Kartli-Iberia, following the instructions of Saint Nino of Cappadocia, declared it the state religion. [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. [236], Georgia is home to four ecoregions: Caucasus mixed forests, Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests, Eastern Anatolian montane steppe, and Azerbaijan shrub desert and steppe. [250][251], As of 2001, 54 per cent of the population lived below the national poverty line but by 2006 poverty decreased to 34 per cent and by 2015 to 10.1 per cent. Other examples of Georgian ecclesiastic architecture can be found outside Georgia: Bachkovo Monastery in Bulgaria (built in 1083 by the Georgian military commander Grigorii Bakuriani), Iviron monastery in Greece (built by Georgians in the 10th century), and the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem (built by Georgians in the 9th century). [65][66] The Bagrationi royal family was deported from the kingdom. The Upper Svaneti fortifications, and the castle town of Shatili in Khevsureti, are some of the finest examples of medieval Georgian castle architecture. [166], Georgia is currently working to become a full member of NATO. Georgia was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, alongside Armenia and Azerbaijan, in 1921 which in 1922 would become a founding member of the Soviet Union. [299][300][301][302][303][304] The official languages of Georgia are Georgian, with Abkhaz having official status within the autonomous region of Abkhazia. However, subsequent Iranian and Ottoman invasions further weakened local kingdoms and regions. A bitter civil war and feudal revolts which began under Demetrius III (r. 967975) led the kingdom into complete anarchy under the unfortunate king Theodosius III the Blind (r. 975978). The region's weather patterns are influenced both by dry Caspian air masses from the east and humid Black Sea air masses from the west. [68] The Georgian nobility did not accept the decree until 12 April 1802, when Knorring assembled the nobility at the Sioni Cathedral and forced them to take an oath on the Imperial Crown of Russia. Burkhard Herbote, tourism Hero. The self-designation used by ethnic Georgians is Kartvelebi (, i.e. [318] The school system is divided into elementary (six years; ages 612), basic (three years; ages 1215), and secondary (three years; ages 1518), or alternatively vocational studies (two years). This made it easy for the remaining Georgian realms to fall victim to the early Muslim conquests in the 7th century. [25][26], The territory of modern-day Georgia was inhabited by Homo erectus since the Paleolithic Era. Rustavi International Motorpark originally built in 1978 was re-opened in 2012 after total reconstruction[356] costing $20million. The country has sizeable hydropower resources. [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. [296] On the other hand, at least 160,000 Georgians left Abkhazia after the break-out of hostilities in 1993. [47] The Golden age of Georgia left a legacy of great cathedrals, romantic poetry and literature, and the epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin, the latter which is considered a national epic. [199] Since 2012 stagnation in corruption fighting efforts can be observed, according to Transparency International. [230] The Rioni River may contain a breeding population of the critically endangered bastard sturgeon. Other notable basketball players are two times Euroleague champion Giorgi Shermadini and Euroleague players Manuchar Markoishvili and Viktor Sanikidze. The Georgian army was defeated and the Social Democratic government fled the country. [28][29] Archaeological finds and references in ancient sources also reveal elements of early political and state formations characterized by advanced metallurgy and goldsmith techniques that date back to the 7th century BC and beyond. [200] Since 2016 the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index hovers around 56 out of 100 points.