Georgia (country)

Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო, transliterated as Sakartvelo) is a Eurasian country in the Caucasus at the east coast of the Black Sea. It is bordered on the north by Russia, on the south by Turkey and Armenia, and on the east by Azerbaijan. It is a transcontinental country, located at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

The territory of modern-day Georgia has been continuously inhabited since the early Stone Age. The classic period saw the rise of the early Georgian states of Colchis and Iberia, which laid the foundation of Georgian culture and eventual statehood. Christianized in the early 4th century and unified into a single monarchy in 1008, Georgia experienced periods of revival and decline until its fragmentation into several smaller political entities in the 16th century. Imperial Russia acquired Georgian lands in a piecemeal fashion from 1801 to 1866. A short-lived post-Russian nation-state - Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) - fell to a Bolshevik invasion. Georgia was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1922. Georgia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and, after a period of civil war and severe economic crisis, Georgia was mostly stable by the late 1990s. The bloodless Rose Revolution of 2003 installed a new, pro-Western reformist government that aspired to join NATO and attempted to bring the secessionist territories back under Georgia's control. These efforts resulted in a deterioration of relations with Russia, in part because of the continued presence of Russian troops. As of 2007, most Russian military forces have been withdrawn, with the last remaining base in Batumi scheduled for Russian withdrawal in 2008.

Georgia's landscapes range from alpine in the Caucasus Mountains to subtropical along the Black Sea coast, making the country an attractive location for tourism. Agriculture -- especially wine-making traditions -- date back to prehistoric times, and still account for an important share of the nation's economy. The recent economic developments brought the country within the scope of major Eurasian energetic projects.

Georgia is a representative democracy, organized as a unitary, semi-presidential republic. Georgia is currently a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the World Trade Organization and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and seeks integration with the European Union and NATO.