The recorded history of Georgia dates back more than 4,000 years and the Georgian language is one of the oldest living languages in the world. Georgian (also Kartvelian; Kartuli in Georgian) is the official language of Georgia, a republic in the Caucasus. ...

Ancient and medieval Georgia

In the 1970s, archaeological excavations revealed a number of ancient settlements which included houses with galleries from the 5th millennium BC in the Imiris-gora region of (Eastern Georgia). These dwellings were circular or oval in plan, a characteristic feature of which was the central pier and chimney. These features were used and further developed in building Georgian dwellings and houses of the 'Darbazi' type. Archaeological excavations have also brought to light the remains of settlements at Beshtasheni and Ozni (4th - 3rd millennium BC), and barrow burials (2nd millennium BC) in the province of Trialeti, at Tsalka (Eastern Georgia). Together, they testify to an advanced and well-developed building and architecture culture. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution... (6th millennium BC – 5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – other millennia) Events 4713 BC – The epoch (origin) of the Julian Period described by Joseph Justus Scaliger occurred on January 1, the astronomical Julian day number zero. ... (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC - other millennia) Events City of Ur in Mesopotamia (40th century BC). ... (4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC – 2nd millennium BC – other millennia) Events Syria: Foundation of the city of Mari (29th century BC ) Iraq: Creation of the Kingdom of Elam Germination of the Bristlecone pine tree Methuselah about 2700 BC, the oldest known tree still living now Dynasty of Lagash in... (3rd millennium BC – 2nd millennium BC – 1st millennium BC – other millennia) Events Second dynasty of Babylon First Bantu migrations from west Africa The Cushites drive the original inhabitants from Ethiopia, and establish trade relations with Egypt. ... Tsalka is a city in southern Georgia, with a population of 22,000, predominantly ethnic Armenians and Greeks, with around 2,000 Azerbaijanis. ...

The region was settled as early as the 5th millennium BC by a neolithic culture. In the chalcolithic era of the fourth and third millennia B.C., Georgia and Asia Minor were home to the Kura-Araxes culture, which gave way in the second millennium B.C. to the Trialeti culture. The ancient Greeks knew the western Georgia as Colchis, and it featured in the Greek legend of Jason and the Argonauts, who travelled there in search of the Golden Fleece. The Georgian regions became known as Egrisi in the western coastal plain, and Iberia in the mountainous east, prior to its becoming a unified client state of the Roman Empire in 66 BC after the campaigns of Pompey. It became one of the first states in the world to convert to Christianity in 317 AD, when King of Iberia Mirian II established it as the official state religion. In 523, Christianity declared as the official religion in Egrisi (Western Georgia) as well. (6th millennium BC – 5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – other millennia) Events 4713 BC – The epoch (origin) of the Julian Period described by Joseph Justus Scaliger occurred on January 1, the astronomical Julian day number zero. ... The Neolithic, (Greek neos=new, lithos=stone, or New Stone Age) is traditionally the last part of the stone age. ... The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos copper stone) period, also known as the Eneolithic or Copper Age period, is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion of Turkey. ... The Kura-Araxes culture was a Chalcolithic culture that flourished in the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia from 4000 B.C. to 2200 B.C. Their name comes from the Kura and Araxes river valleys in which they developed. ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Colchis, or Aea-Colchis (Georgian form - Kolkheti), in ancient geography district of Asia Minor, at the eastern extremity of the Black Sea, bounded on the N. by the Caucasus. ... Jason, in Greek, is a hero of Greek mythology. ... this is a picture of ke ... For the order of chivalry, see Order of the Golden Fleece. ... Egrisi (or Kolkheti) was a kingdom in the western part of Georgia, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It was covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the territory of modern Abkhazia). ... Caucasian Iberia is the term designated to the Kingdom of Iberia (4th century BC–5th century AD) established in Eastern Georgia by the Georgians (Kartvelians). ... Roman Empire between AD 60 and 400 with major cities. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC - 60s BC - 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC Years: 71 BC 70 BC 69 BC 68 BC 67 BC 66 BC 65 BC 64 BC 63... This article refers to the Roman General. ... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ... Events Jin Yuan Di succeeds Jin Min Di; end of the western and beginning of the eastern Jin Dynasty King Marian II of Iberia declares Christianity the official state religion Births February _ Constantine II, Roman Emperor Deaths Categories: 317 ... Mirian II (3rd century AD), Saint King Mirian was the king of Kartli (Iberia) in the Eastern Georgia. ... Events August 13 - John succeeds Hormisdas as Pope. ...

Although it was subsequently beset by various invaders, principally Arabs, Mongols, Persians and Turks, the Georgians retained a greater or lesser degree of independence for over 1,000 years. In 978 all Georgian principalities were united into the United Kingdom of Georgia (978-1466) under the Bagrationi dynasty. This dynasty was established by Ashot I the Great in 809. Greatest representatives of this dynasty were David the Builder (Devid IV Agmashenebeli) (reigned 1089-1125) and Tamar (1184-1213), both regarded as saints by the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church. The Kingdom of Georgia of that time included also Armenia, Azerbaijan and North Caucasian territories; Empire of Trebizond was created as a satellite state by Tamar. Georgia suffered a lengthy period of decline thereafter, broken up into several kingdoms and principalities and finding itself contested by the Ottoman and Persian empires. In 1801-1810 kingdoms of Kartl-Kakheti (Eastern Georgia) and Imereti (Western Georgia) were occupied and annexed by the Tsarist Russian Empire. For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... This article is about the Persians, an ethnic group. ... Events Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey in Italy, is founded by Willa, Margravine of Tuscany. ... Events Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey in Italy, is founded by Willa, Margravine of Tuscany. ... Events Chimú Empire conquered by troops of the Inca End of term for Regent of Sweden Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna. ... The Bagratids (also called Bagrationi or Bagratuni) were a Royal family in Transcaucasia. ... Events Saga succeeds Heizei as emperor of Japan. ... David the Builder (David IV Bagrationi) (1073 - January 24, 1125) was a King of Georgia (1089-1125). ... Events Northumbria divided by the Normans into the counties of Northumberland, County Durham, Yorkshire, Westmorland and Lancashire August 11, powerful Britain Coronation of Rama Varma Kulasekhara in Kerala Synod of Melfi under Pope Urban II imposes slavery on the wives of priests Palmyra destroyed by earthquake Byzantine conquest of Crete... Events May 23 - Lothar of Saxony becomes Holy Roman Emperor on the death of Henry V. War ends between Toulouse and Provence. ... Tamar Bagrationi was Queen of the kingdom of Georgia from 1184-1213. ... Events Abbeville receives its commercial charter. ... Events Alix of Thouars, heiress of the duchy of Brittany marries Peter of Dreux; beginning of the Dreux rule in Brittany, which would last until 1514 Births March 9 - Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy Deaths September 12 - Peter II of Aragon at the Battle of Muret Heads of state France... The Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church is one of the worlds most ancient Christian Churches, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Andrew. ... Introduction The Empire of Trebizond and other states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The Empire of Trebizond was a successor state of the Byzantine Empire founded in 1204 immediately before the fall of Constantinople. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul (Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Iran. ... 1801 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti was created in 1762 by unification of two Eastern Georgian kingdoms, which existed independently since the disintegration of Georgian Kingdom in the 15th century. ... Imereti is a historic province in Western Georgia, situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

Georgia under the Russian Empire, 1801-1918

In 1801, the Russian Tsar Alexander I abolished the Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and exiled its royal family. It was fully absorbed into the Russian Empire by 1804, following which an intense program of russification was undertaken to replace the Georgian social and cultural system with a Russian version. The Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church was also abolished. 1801 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Aleksandr Pavlovich Romanov or Tsar Alexander I (The Blessed), (Russian: Александр I Павлович) (December 23, 1777–December 1, 1825), Emperor of Russia (reigned March 23, 1801–December 1, 1825), King of Poland (reigned 1815–1825), son of the Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, afterwards Paul I, and Maria Fedorovna, daughter of... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the political term. ... The Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church is one of the worlds most ancient Christian Churches, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Andrew. ...

Georgian dissatisfaction with Tsarist autocracy and Armenian economic domination led to the development of a national liberation movement in the second half of the 19th century. A large-scale peasant revolt occurred in 1905 which led to political reforms that eased the tensions for a period. During this time, the Marxist Social Democratic Party became the dominant political movement in Georgia, occupying all the Georgian seats in the Russian State Duma established after 1905. Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili (aka Joseph Stalin), a Georgian Bolshevik, became a leader of the revolutionary (and anti-Menshevik) movement in Georgia. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, or RSDLP (Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́чая Па́ртия = РСДРП), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers Party, was a revolutionary socialist Russian political party formed in 1898 in Minsk to unite the various revolutionary organisations into one party. ... The State Duma (Russian: Государственная дума (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), common abbreviation: Госдума (Gosduma)) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (parliament), the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. ... Iosif (usually Anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. ...

The Russian Revolution of October 1917 plunged Russia into a bloody civil war during which several outlying Russian territories declared independence. Georgia was one of them, proclaiming the establishment of the independent Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG) on May 26, 1918. The new country was ruled by the Menshevik faction of the Social Democratic Party, which established a multi-party system in sharp contrast with the "dictatorship of the proletariat" established by the Bolsheviks in Russia. It was recognised as independent by the major European powers in 1918 and by Soviet Russia in May 1920. The phrase Russian Revolution can refer to three specific events in the history of Imperial Russia. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Russian Civil War was fought between 1918 and 1920. ... Meeting of the National Council (May 26, 1918) The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG, 1918_1921) was the first Republic of Georgia, established after the collapse of the Russian Tsarist empire in the Russian Revolution of 1917. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...

In February, 1921 the Red Army invaded Georgia and after a short war occupied the country. Georgian government was forced to flee. Guerilla resistance in 1921-1924 was followed by a large-scale patriotic uprising in August, 1924. Colonel Kakutsa Cholokashvili was one of the most prominent guerilla leader. 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Red Army flag The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya in Russian), the armed forces organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Kakutsa Cholokashvili Kakutsa Cholokashvili (Kaikhosro Cholokashvili), Colonel (1888-1930), Georgian national hero, was an anti-Soviet guerilla leader in 1921-1924. ...

Georgia under the Soviet Union, 1921-1990

Georgia was forcibly incorporated into a Transcaucasian Federative Soviet Socialist Republic (TFSSR) comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The Soviet Government forced Georgia to cede several historical Georgian provinces to Turkey (province of Tao-Klarjeti), Azerbaijan (province of Hereti/Saingilo), Armenia (Lore region) and Russia (part of the Black Sea seacost). Soviet rule was harsh: about 50,000 people were executed and killed in 1921-1924, more than 100,000 were purged under Stalin and his secret police chief, the Georgian Lavrenty Beria in 1935-1938, 1942 and 1945-1950. In 1936, the TFSSR was dissolved and Georgia became the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic was a short-lived (1922-1936) Soviet republic, consisting of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, which were traditionally known as the Transcaucasian Republics in the Soviet Union. ... Tao-Klarjeti was a Georgian Kingdom (now territory of Turkey). ... Hereti was a historic province in eastern Georgia. ... Lore is: A body of cultural traditions and knowledge. ... Satellite view of the Black Sea, taken by NASA MODIS Cities of the Black Sea The Black Sea (known as the Euxine Sea in the antiquity) is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lavrenty Beria Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria (Russian: Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия) (29 March 1899 - 23 December 1953), Soviet politician and police chief, is remembered chiefly as the executor of Joseph Stalins Great Purge of the 1930s, although in fact he presided only over the closing stages of the Purge. ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... State motto: პროლეტარ ყველა ქვეყნისა, შეერთდით! Official language Georgian since 1978 (Georgia was the only Soviet republic to have an official language) Capital Tbilisi Chairman of the Supreme Council Zviad Gamsakhurdia (at independence) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 10th in former Soviet Union 69,700 km2 -- Population  - Total (1989)  - Density Ranked...

Reaching the Caucasus oilfields was one of the main objectives of Hitler's invasion of the USSR in August 1941, but the armies of the Axis powers did not get as far as Georgia. It contributed almost 700,000 fighters (350,000 were killed) to the Red Army, however, and was a vital source of textiles and munitions. Stalin's successful appeal for patriotic unity eclipsed Georgian nationalism during the war and diffused it in the years following. Khrushchev's policy of de-Stalinization was followed by a general criticism of the whole Georgian people and culture. On March 9, 1956, hundreds of Georgian students were killed when they demonstrated against Khrushchev. The Caucasus is a region in West Asia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus mountains and surrounding lowlands. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Original German plan Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on June 22, 1941. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Axis Powers is a term for those participants in World War II opposed to the Allies. ... Nikita Khrushchev in 1962 Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Russian: Ники́та Серге́евич Хрущёв) (nih-KEE-tah khroo-SHCHYOFF) (April 17, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday. ...

The decentralisation program introduced by Khrushchev in the mid-1950s was soon exploited by Georgian Communist Party officials to build their own regional power base. A thriving capitalist shadow economy emerged alongside the official state-owned economy, making Georgia one of the most economically successful Soviet republics but unfortunately also greatly increasing corruption. Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... For other usage of the initials CPSU see CPSU (disambiguation). ...

Although corruption was hardly unknown in the Soviet Union, it became so widespread and blatant in Georgia that it came to be an embarrassment to the authorities in Moscow. The country's interior minister between 1964 and 1972, Eduard Shevardnadze, gained a reputation as a fighter of corruption and engineered the removal of Vasily Mzhavanadze, the corrupt First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party. Shevardnadze ascended to the post of First Secretary with the blessings of Moscow. He was an effective and able ruler of Georgia from 1972 to 1985, improving the official economy and dismissing hundreds of corrupt officials. 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze (Georgian: ედუარდ შევარდნაძე, Russian: Эдуа́рд Амвро́сьевич Шевардна́дзе; pronounced ed-oo-ard am-vro-see-ye-vitch she-va-rd-nad-zuh) (born 25 January 1928) is a Georgian politician. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Soviet power and Georgian nationalism clashed in 1978 when Moscow ordered revision of the constitutional status of the Georgian language as Georgia's official state language. Bowing to pressure from massive street demonstrations on April 14, 1978 Moscow approved Shevardnadze's reinstatement of the constitutional guarantee the same year. April 14 was established as a Day of the Georgian Language. 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

Shevardnadze's appointment as Soviet Foreign Minister in 1985 caused him to be replaced as Georgian leader by Jumber Patiashvili, a conservative and generally ineffective Communist who coped poorly with the challenges of Perestroika. Towards the end of the late 1980s there were increasingly violent clashes between the Communist authorities, the resurgent Georgian nationalist movement and nationalist movements in Georgia's minority-populated regions (notably South Ossetia). On April 9, 1989, Soviet troops were used to break up a peaceful demonstration at the government building in Tbilisi. Twenty Georgians were killed and hundreds wounded and poisoned. The event radicalised Georgian politics, prompting many - even some Georgian communists - to conclude that independence was preferable to continued Soviet rule. Perestroika  listen (Перестро́йка) is the Russian word (which passed into English) for the economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. ... Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... The Republic of South Ossetia (in Russian Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya, Республика Южная Осетия; in Ossetian Respublikae Xussar Iryston, Республикæ Хуссар Ирыстон) is a de facto independent republic within Georgia. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Opposition pressure on the communist government was manifested in popular demonstrations and strikes, which ultimately resulted in an open, multiparty and democratic parliamentary election being held on October 28, 1990. They were won by the "Round Table" coalition headed by the leading dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who became the head of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia. On March 31, 1991 Gamsakhurdia wasted no time in organising a referendum on independence, which was approved by 98.9% of the votes. Formal independence from the Soviet Union was declared on April 9, 1991, although it took some time before it was widely recognised by outside powers such as the United States and European countries. Gamsakhurdia's government strongly opposed any vestiges of Russian dominance, such as the remaining Soviet military bases in the republic, and (after the collapse of the Soviet Union) his government declined to join the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zviad Konstantines dze Gamsakhurdia (Georgian: ზვიად გამსახურდია) (March 31, 1939 - December 31, 1993) was a dissident, scientist and writer, who became the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era. ... The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia was the first National Parliament of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era (in 1990 - 1992). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation or alliance consisting of 11 of the 15 former Soviet Republics, the exceptions being the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and Georgia. ...

Post-communist Georgia, 1991 - 2003

Gamsakhurdia was elected president on May 26, 1991 with 86% of the votes. He was widely criticised for what was perceived to be an erratic and authoritarian style of government, with nationalists and reformists joining forces in an uneasy anti-Gamsakhurdia coalition. A tense situation was worsened by the large amount of ex-Soviet weaponry available to the quarreling parties and by the growing power of paramilitary groups. The situation came to a head on December 22, 1991, when armed opposition groups launched a violent military Coup d'etat, besieging Gamsakhurdia and his supporters in government buildings in central Tbilisi. Gamsakhurdia managed to evade his enemies and fled to the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya in January 1992. May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... The Chechen Republic (Russian: Чеченская Республика; Chechen: Нохчийн Республика/Noxçiyn Respublika), also known as Chechnya (Russian: Чечня, Chechen: Нохчичьо/Noxçiyçö), Chechnia or Chechenia, is a constituent republic of the Russian Federation. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The new government invited Eduard Shevardnadze to become the head of a State Council - in effect, president - in March 1992, putting a moderate face on the somewhat unsavoury regime that had been established following Gamsakhurdia's ouster. In August 1992, a separatist dispute in the Georgian autonomous republic of Abkhazia escalated when government forces and paramilitaries were sent into the area to quell separatist activities. The Abkhaz fought back with help from paramilitaries from Russia's North Caucasus regions and alleged covert support from Russian military stationed in a base in Gudauta, Abkhazia and in September 1993 the government forces suffered a catastrophic defeat which led to them being driven out and the entire Georgian population of the region being expelled. Around 14,000 people died and another 300,000 were forced to flee. Abkhazia ( Abkhaz: /Apsny, Georgian: აფხაზეთი/Apkhazeti, Russian: Абха́зия) is a region of 8,600 km² in the Caucasus. ...

Ethnic violence also flared in South Ossetia but was eventually quelled, although at the cost of several hundred casualties and 100,000 refugees fleeing into Russian-controlled North Ossetia. In south-western Georgia, the autonomous republic of Ajaria came under the control of Aslan Abashidze, who managed to rule his republic from 1991 to 2004 as a personal fiefdom in which the Tbilisi government had little influence. The Republic of South Ossetia (in Russian Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya, Республика Южная Осетия; in Ossetian Respublikae Xussar Iryston, Республикæ Хуссар Ирыстон) is a de facto independent republic within Georgia. ... Official language Georgian Capital Batumi Chairman of Interim Council Levan Varshalomidze Area  - Total  - % water 2,900 km² n/a Population  - Total (1989)  - Density 392,432 135. ... Aslan Abashidze (Georgian: ასლან აბაშიძე) (born July 20, 1938) was the leader of the Georgia from 1991 to May 5, Georgian (Ajarian) family. ...

On September 24, 1993, in the wake of the Abkhaz disaster, Zviad Gamsakhurdia returned from exile to organise an uprising against the government. His supporters were able to capitalise on the disarray of the government forces and quickly overran much of western Georgia. This alarmed Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and units of the Russian Army were sent into Georgia to assist the government. Gamsakhurdia's rebellion quickly collapsed and he died on December 31, 1993, apparently after being cornered by his enemies. In a highly controversial agreement, Shevardnadze's government agreed that it would join the CIS as part of the price for military and political support. September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ...

Shevardnadze narrowly survived a bomb attack in August 1995 that he blamed on his erstwhile paramilitary allies. He took the opportunity to imprison the paramilitary leader Jaba Ioseliani and ban his Mkhedrioni militia in what was proclaimed as a strike against "mafia forces". However, his government - and his own family - became increasingly associated with pervasive corruption that hampered Georgia's economic growth. He won presidential elections in November 1995 and April 2000 with large majorities, but there were persistent allegations of vote-rigging. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jaba (or Dzhaba) Ioseliani (July 10, 1926-March 4, 2003) was a Georgian politician, bank robber and leader of the paramilitary Mkhedrioni organisation. ... The Mkhedrioni is a paramilitary group and political organisation in the Republic of Georgia, outlawed since 1995 but subsequently reconstituted as the Union of Patriots political party. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The war in Chechnya caused considerable friction with Russia, which accused Georgia of harbouring Chechen guerrillas. Further friction was caused by Shevardnadze's close relationship with the United States, which saw him as a counterbalance to Russian influence in the strategic Transcaucasus region. Georgia became a major recipient of U.S. foreign and military aid, signed a strategic partnership with NATO and declared an ambition to join both NATO and the EU. In 2002, the United States sent hundreds of Special Operations Forces to assist the local military fight guerrilla fighters. See War on Terrorism/Pankisi Gorge. Perhaps most significantly, the country secured a $3 billion project to build a pipeline carrying oil from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia (the so-called "Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan" or BTC pipeline). 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Special forces or special operations forces is a term used to describe relatively small military units raised and trained for reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and special operations. ... The Pankisi Gorge is a region of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, near the border with the breakaway Russian province of Chechnya. ...

A powerful coalition of reformists headed by Mikhail Saakashvili, Nino Burjanadze and Zurab Zhvania united to oppose Shevardnadze's government in the November 2, 2003 parliamentary elections. The elections were widely regarded as being blatantly rigged; in response, the opposition organised massive demonstrations in the streets of Tbilisi. After two tense weeks, Shevardnadze resigned on November 23, 2003 and was replaced as president on an interim basis by Burjanadze. Mikhail Saakashvili briefing the press at UN headquarters Mikhail Saakashvili (Georgian: მიხეილ სააკაშვილი) (born December 21, 1967), Georgian jurist and politician, is the President of Georgia. ... Nino Burjanadze Nino Burjanadze (Georgian: ნინო ბურჯანაძე) (born on July 16, 1964) is a Georgian jurist and politician. ... Zurab Zhvania Zurab Zhvania (Georgian: ზურაბ ჟვანია; Cyrillic: Зураб Жвания) (December 9, 1963–February 3, 2005) was a prominent Georgian politician and former Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Georgia after Shevardnadze

On January 4, 2004 Mikhail Saakashvili won the Presidential Elections with a huge majority of 96% of the votes cast. Constitutional amendments were rushed through Parliament in February strengthening the powers of the President to dismiss Parliament and creating the post of Prime Minister. Zurab Zhvania was appointed Prime Minister. Nino Burjanadze the interim President, became Speaker of Parliament. The new president faces many problems on coming to office. More than 230,000 internally displaced persons put an enormous strain on the economy. Peace in the separatist areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, overseen by Russian and United Nations peacekeepers and international organizations, remains fragile and will require years of economic development and negotiation to overcome local enmities. Considerable progress has been made in negotiations on the Ossetian-Georgian conflict, and negotiations are continuing in the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zurab Zhvania Zurab Zhvania (Georgian: ზურაბ ჟვანია; Cyrillic: Зураб Жвания) (December 9, 1963–February 3, 2005) was a prominent Georgian politician and former Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. ... Nino Burjanadze Nino Burjanadze (Georgian: ნინო ბურჯანაძე) (born on July 16, 1964) is a Georgian jurist and politician. ... Tailor in Labuje IDP camp in Uganda An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who has been forced to leave their home for reasons such as religious or political persecution or war, but has not crossed an international border. ... Abkhazia ( Abkhaz: /Apsny, Georgian: აფხაზეთი/Apkhazeti, Russian: Абха́зия) is a region of 8,600 km² in the Caucasus. ... The Republic of South Ossetia (in Russian Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya, Республика Южная Осетия; in Ossetian Respublikae Xussar Iryston, Республикæ Хуссар Ирыстон) is a de facto independent republic within Georgia. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... Map of Ossetia Ossetia is a region in the northern Caucasus Mountains, inhabited by the Ossetians. ...

After the Rose Revolution relations between the Georgian government and semi-separatist Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze deteriorated rapidly thereafter, with Abashidze rejecting Saakashvili's demands for the writ of the Tblisi government to run in Ajaria. Both sides mobilised forces in apparent preparations for a military confrontation. Saakashvili's ultimatums and massive street demonstrations forced Abashidze to resign and flee Georgia. Aslan Abashidze (Georgian: ასლან აბაშიძე) (born July 20, 1938) was the leader of the Georgia from 1991 to May 5, Georgian (Ajarian) family. ...

Relations with Russia remain problematic due to Russia's continuing political, economic and military support to separatist governments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russian troops still remain garrisoned at two military bases and as peacekeepers in these regions. The separatist question is still unresolved but Saakashvili's public pledge to resolve the matter has already provoked criticism from the separatist regions and Russia. Abkhazia ( Abkhaz: /Apsny, Georgian: აფხაზეთი/Apkhazeti, Russian: Абха́зия) is a region of 8,600 km² in the Caucasus. ... The Republic of South Ossetia (in Russian Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya, Республика Южная Осетия; in Ossetian Respublikae Xussar Iryston, Республикæ Хуссар Ирыстон) is a de facto independent republic within Georgia. ...

Georgia remains a very poor country by European standards, not least because of its widespread corruption. The Georgian Government is committed to economic reform in cooperation with the IMF and World Bank, and stakes much of its future on the revival of the ancient Silk Road as the Eurasian corridor, using Georgia's geography as a bridge for transit of goods between Europe and Asia. Saakashvili has pledged to improve the economy in general and specifically to raise pay and pensions, as well as to crack down on corruption and retrieve the ill-gotten gains of figures in the previous government. In August 2004, several clashes occured in South Ossetia. The flag of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the international organization entrusted with overseeing global financial system‘s current trade account balances of member states. ... The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages: BIRD), better known as the World Bank, is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by WWII. Now, its mission has expanded to fight poverty by means of financing states. ... The Silk Road (Traditional Chinese: 絲綢之路; Simplified Chinese: 丝绸之路; pinyin: sī chóu zhī lù) was an interconnected series of routes through Southern Asia traversed by caravan and ocean vessel, and connecting Changan, China with Antioch, Syria, as well as other points. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Republic of South Ossetia (in Russian Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya, Республика Южная Осетия; in Ossetian Respublikae Xussar Iryston, Республикæ Хуссар Ирыстон) is a de facto independent republic within Georgia. ...

Integration into the NATO and the EU remains the main goal of Georgia's foreign policy. On October 29, 2004, the North Atlantic Council (NAC) of the NATO approved the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia (IPAP). Georgia is the first among the NATO’s partner countries to manage this task successfully. The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 63 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... North Atlantic Council is a regular meeting of Head of State of the member states of NATO. Categories: International organization stubs | NATO ... NAC is a three letter code that may stand for: Natural Area Code National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Ontario National Aquatics Center, Dublin, Ireland N-acetylcysteine National Airways Corporation, New Zealand National Asthma Campaign You may be looking for the Dutch football team NAC Breda. ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ...

Georgia continues to support the coalition forces in Iraq. On November 8, 2004, 300 extra Georgian troops were sent to Iraq. The Georgian government committed to send a total of 850 troops to Iraq to serve in the protection forces of the UN Mission. Along with increasing Georgian troops in Iraq, the US will train additional 4 thousand Georgian soldiers within frames of the Georgia Train-and-Equip Program (GTEP). November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In February, 2005 Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania died, and Zurab Nogaideli was appointed as the new Prime Minister. February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zurab Zhvania Zurab Zhvania (Georgian: ზურაბ ჟვანია; Cyrillic: Зураб Жвания) (December 9, 1963–February 3, 2005) was a prominent Georgian politician and former Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. ... Zurab Nogaideli (Georgian: ზურაბ ნოღაიდელი; born October 22, 1964) is a Georgian politician, the Prime Minister of Georgia. ...

On 9-10 May 2005 Georgia was visited by the US President George W. Bush, who met Mikheil Saakashvili and a group of Georgian parliamentarians, and addressed to tens of thousands of the Georgian people at Tbilisi Freedom Square [1] (http://www.georgiawelcomesusa.com/). May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – Present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... Mikhail Saakashvili briefing the press at UN headquarters Mikhail Saakashvili (Georgian: მიხეილ სააკაშვილი) (born December 21, 1967), Georgian jurist and politician, is the President of Georgia. ...

See also

• Republic of Georgia
• Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
• Bagrationi
• Culture of Georgia
• Georgian people
• List of Georgians
• Politics of Georgia

Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო Sakartvelo), known from 1990 to 1995 as the Republic of Georgia, is a country to the east of the Black Sea in the southern Caucasus. ... The Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church is one of the worlds most ancient Christian Churches, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Andrew. ... The Bagratids (also called Bagrationi or Bagratuni) were a Royal family in Transcaucasia. ... The culture of Georgia has evolved over the countrys long history, providing it with a unique national culture and a strong literary tradition based on the Georgian language and alphabet. ... Georgians are one of the most ancient peoples of the world. ... Alternate meaning: List of people from the State of Georgia (United States) The following is a partial list of prominent people from the country Georgia, arranged chronologically within categories. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

External links

• Georgia - A Country Study, Library of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/getoc.html)
• List of rulers of Georgia (http://homepage.mac.com/crowns/go/avframe.html)

References

• W.E.D. Allen, A History of the Georgian People, 1932
• Braund, David 1994. Georgia in Antiquity: A History of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia 550 BC-AD 562. Clarendon Press, Oxford. ISBN 0-19-814473-3.
• David Lang, The Georgians, 1966
• David Lang, A Modern History of Georgia, 1962
• K. Salia, A History of of the Georgian Nation, Paris, 1983