{{Short description|Country in Eastern Europe and West Asia}}
{{Redirect|Republic of Georgia|the U.S. state|Georgia (U.S. state)|other uses}}
{{pp-move}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Georgia
| common_name            = Georgia
| linking_name           = Georgia (country)
| native_name            = {{lang|ka|საქართველო|}} <br />{{transliteration|ka|Sakartvelo}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Georgia.svg
| image_coat             = Greater coat of arms of Georgia.svg
| coa_size               = 95
| national_motto         = {{lang|ka|ძალა ერთობაშია}}<br />{{transliteration|ka|Dzala ertobashia}}<br />"Strength is in Unity"
| national_anthem        = {{lang|ka|თავისუფლება}}<br />{{transliteration|ka|[[Tavisupleba]]}}<br />"Freedom"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:Georgian national anthem performed by the United States Navy Band.mp3]]}}
| image_map              = {{Switcher|[[File:Georgia (orthographic projection with inset).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Locator map of Georgia.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Europe<br />(''[[de jure]]'' borders)|default=1}}
| map_caption            = {{Legend|#336830|Location of Georgia}}
{{Legend|#61E760|[[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|Russian-occupied territories]]}}
| image_map2             = 
| capital                = [[Tbilisi]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|41|43|N|44|47|E|type:city}}
| largest_city           = capital
| official_languages     = [[Georgian language|Georgian]]
| recognized_regional_languages = [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]{{efn|In the [[Abkhazian Autonomous Republic|Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia]].<ref>{{citation |chapter=Article 8 |title=Constitution of Georgia|title-link=Constitution of Georgia (country)}}. In [[Abkhazian Autonomous Republic|Abkhazian AR]], also [[Abkhaz language|Abkhazian]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://parliament.ge/uploads/other/28/28803.pdf |title=Constitution of Georgia |website=Parliament of Georgia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210071629/http://parliament.ge/uploads/other/28/28803.pdf |archive-date=10 December 2017}}</ref>}}
| languages_type         = Spoken languages<ref name="census2024" />
| ethnic_groups          = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|84.1% [[Georgians]]|6.8% [[Azerbaijanis in Georgia|Azerbaijanis]]|4.3% [[Armenians in Georgia|Armenians]]|1.1% [[Russians in Georgia|Russians]]|3.7% [[Demographics of Georgia (country)#Ethnic groups|other]]}}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2024<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.geostat.ge/media/80539/2024-%E1%83%AC%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1-%E1%83%9B%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%AE%E1%83%9A%E1%83%94%E1%83%9D%E1%83%91%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1-%E1%83%93%E1%83%90-%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%A1%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A4%E1%83%9A%E1%83%9D-%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%9B%E1%83%94%E1%83%A3%E1%83%A0%E1%83%9C%E1%83%94%E1%83%9D-%E1%83%90%E1%83%A6%E1%83%AC%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1-%E1%83%AB%E1%83%98%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%97%E1%83%90%E1%83%93%E1%83%98-%E1%83%A8%E1%83%94%E1%83%93%E1%83%94%E1%83%92%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%98.pdf |title=2024 წლის მოსახლეობის და სასოფლო-სამეურნეო აღწერის ძირითადი შედეგები|access-date=2026-06-22}}</ref>
| religion               = {{ublist |item_style=white-space;
|{{Tree list}}
* 85.4% [[Christianity in Georgia (country)|Christianity]]
** 82.0% [[Georgian Orthodox Church|Georgian Orthodoxy]]
** 3.4% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|11.1% [[Islam in Georgia (country)|Islam]] |0.3% [[Religion in Georgia (country)|other]]
|0.5% [[Irreligion|none]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.geostat.ge/ka/modules/categories/910/demografiuli-da-sotsialuri-makhasiateblebi|title=6.--მოსახლეობა-თვითმმართველი-ერთეულების,-სქესის-და-აღმსარებლობის-მიხედვით |date=1 July 2026 |publisher=National Statistics Office of Georgia |access-date= 1 July 2026}}</ref>}}
| religion_year          = 2024
| demonym                = [[Georgians|Georgian]]
| government_type        = Unitary [[parliamentary republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Georgia|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Mikheil Kavelashvili]]{{Efn|name=disputed|As result of the [[2024 Georgian parliamentary election]] and the subsequent [[2024 Georgian constitutional crisis|constitutional crisis]], key political positions and the legitimacy of Georgia's parliament have been disputed. Opposition forces have contested the legitimacy of Kavelashvili, and the outgoing president [[Salome Zourabichvili]] has claimed to continue to be legitimate president.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-29 |title=Georgia's outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili refuses to quit as successor Mikheil Kavelashvili sworn in |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0rn2w0zw08o |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=13 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260113132254/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0rn2w0zw08o |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-28 |title=Showdown in Georgia as pro-EU president refuses to step down |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/georgia-president-salome-zourabichvili-refuse-step-down-mikheil-kavelashvili-protest-oligarch-bidzina-ivanishvili-sanction-tbilisi/ |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB |archive-date=31 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250831174803/https://www.politico.eu/article/georgia-president-salome-zourabichvili-refuse-step-down-mikheil-kavelashvili-protest-oligarch-bidzina-ivanishvili-sanction-tbilisi/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chrisafis |first=Angelique |date=2024-12-29 |title=Georgia's pro-west president says she remains 'only legitimate president' as new leader sworn in |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/29/georgia-president-sworn-in-protests-zourabichvili-kavelashvili |access-date=2024-12-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Also, international platforms have disputed the legitimacy of the ''de facto'' Georgian authorities after the 2024 elections, including the [[European Parliament]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20250204IPR26689/meps-georgia-s-self-proclaimed-authorities-have-no-legitimacy |title=MEPs: Georgia's self-proclaimed authorities have no legitimacy |date=2025-02-13 |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=European Parliament |language=en-GB}}</ref>}}
| leader_title2          = [[Prime Minister of Georgia|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2           = [[Irakli Kobakhidze]]{{Efn|name=disputed}}
| legislature            = [[Parliament of Georgia|Parliament]]
| sovereignty_type       = [[History of Georgia (country)|Establishment history]]
| established_event1     = {{nowrap|[[Colchis]] and [[Kingdom of Iberia|Iberia]]}}
| established_date1      = 13th c. BC – AD {{End date|580}}
| established_event2     = [[Kingdom of Abkhazia]] and [[Kingdom of the Iberians]]
| established_date2      = 786–1008
| established_event3     = [[Unification of the Georgian realm|Unification of Georgia]]
| established_date3      = 1008
| established_event4     = [[Triarchy and collapse of the Kingdom of Georgia|The Tripartite division]]
| established_date4      = 1490–1810
| established_event5     = [[Georgia within the Russian Empire|Russian annexation]]
| established_date5      = 1801–1858
| established_event6     = [[Democratic Republic of Georgia|Independence from Russia]]
| established_date6      = 26 May 1918
| established_event7     = [[Red Army invasion of Georgia|Russian invasion]]
| established_date7      = 12 February 1921
| established_event8     = [[Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet annexation]]
| established_date8      = 25 February 1921
| established_event9     = {{nowrap|Independence from}} {{nowrap|the Soviet Union}} <div style="text-align:right;">{{•}}Declared<br />{{•}}Finalized</div>
| established_date9      = <br /><br />9 April 1991<br />{{End date|1991|12|26|df=yes}}
| established_event10    = {{nowrap|[[Constitution of Georgia (country)|Current constitution]]}}
| established_date10     = 24 August 1995
| area_km2               = 69,700
| area_footnote          = 
| area_rank              = 119th <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_sq_mi             = 26,911
| percent_water          = 
| population_census      = {{Increase}} 3,657,000<ref>[https://1tv.ge/news/saqstatis-winaswari-monacemebit-qveyanashi-sami-milion-657-atasi-saqartvelos-moqalaqe-ckhovrobs/ საქსტატის წინასწარი მონაცემებით, ქვეყანაში საქართველოს სამი მილიონ 657 ათასი მოქალაქე ცხოვრობს]. https://1tv.ge/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303142754/https://1tv.ge/ |date=3 March 2025 }}, 11:43, 26.08.2025.</ref>
| population_census_year = 2024<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |date=25 June 2025 |title=2024 Population and Agricultural Census of Georgia Preliminary Results |url=https://www.geostat.ge/media/71565/2024-Population-and-Agricultural-Census-of-Georgia-Preliminary-results.pdf |publisher=National Statistics Office of Georgia |access-date=25 June 2025 |archive-date=13 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260113233850/https://www.geostat.ge/media/71565/2024-Population-and-Agricultural-Census-of-Georgia-Preliminary-results.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_census_rank = 129th
| population_density_km2 = 56.3
| population_density_sq_mi = 145.9
| population_density_rank = 165th
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $123,049 billion<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en |access-date=22 September 2025 |archive-date=28 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250428212902/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/April |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2026
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 98th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $33,340<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en |access-date=22 September 2025 |archive-date=28 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250428212902/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/April |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 67th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $35.350 billion<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en |access-date=22 September 2025 |archive-date=28 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250428212902/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/April |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2026
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 103rd
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $10,886<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en |access-date=22 September 2025 |archive-date=28 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250428212902/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/April |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 83rd
| Gini                   = 33.9 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year              = 2024
| Gini_change            = decrease<!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| Gini_ref               = {{Ref label|population|a|}}<ref name="wb-gini">{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=GE |title=GINI index (World Bank estimate) – Georgia |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218034411/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=GE |archive-date=18 February 2026 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.844
| HDI_rank               = 57th
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year. -->
| HDI_change             = increase
| HDI_ref                = {{Ref label|population|a|}}<ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}</ref>
| currency               = [[Georgian lari]] (₾)
| currency_code          = GEL
| time_zone              = [[Georgia Time|GET]]
| utc_offset             = +4
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| DST_note               = 
| time_zone_DST          = 
| date_format            = dd.mm.yyyy
| calling_code           = [[+995]]
| iso3166code            = GE
| cctld                  = [[.ge]], [[.გე]]
| footnote_a             = {{Note|population}} Not including [[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|occupied territories]]
}}
'''Georgia'''{{efn|{{Lang-ka|საქართველო|tr}}, {{IPA|ka|sakʰartʰʷelo|IPA|Sakartvelo.ogg}}}} is a country in the [[Caucasus]] region on the east coast of the [[Black Sea]]. It is located at the intersection of [[Eastern Europe]] and [[West Asia]]<ref>[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]", [https://www.britannica.com/place/Caucasus Caucasus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504123439/https://www.britannica.com/place/Caucasus |date=4 May 2020 }}, June 2021: "One widely accepted scheme draws the dividing line along the crest of the Greater Caucasus range, putting the portion of the region north of the line in Europe and the portion south of it in Asia. Another puts the western portion of the Caucasus region in Europe and the eastern part (the bulk of Azerbaijan and small portions of Armenia, Georgia, and Russia's Caspian Sea coast) in Asia..."</ref><ref>''[[Histories (Herodotus)|Histories]]'' 4.38. Cf. James Rennell, ''The geographical system of Herodotus examined and explained'', Volume 1, Rivington 1830, [[iarchive:bub gb enQ-AAAAcAAJ/page/n274|p. 244]]</ref>{{efn|For a more complete explanation, see: [[Boundaries between the continents]]}} and is generally regarded as part of Europe.<ref>Encyclopedic World Atlas, George Philip & Son, [[Oxford University Press]]: 2002, p.104</ref> It is bordered to the north and northeast by [[Russia]]; to the west by the Black Sea, to the south by [[Turkey]] and [[Armenia]], and to the southeast by [[Azerbaijan]]. It has a population of 3.9 million,{{efn|This figure excludes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two [[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|Russian-occupied]] territories of Georgia that only Russia and a [[List of states with limited recognition|small number of other countries]] recognize. The [[Government of Georgia (country)|government of Georgia]] considers the two areas as integral parts of the country, with [[International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia|international support]].}} of which over a third live in [[Tbilisi]], the capital and largest city. [[Georgians]], who are native to the region and constitute the majority of the population, are ethno-linguistically distinct from their neighboring nations and primarily speak [[Georgian language|Georgian]], a [[Kartvelian language]] that has no relation to any other language family in the world.{{sfn|Dalby|2002|p=38}}

Georgia has been inhabited since prehistory and is known for hosting the world's earliest known sites of [[wine]]making.<ref>{{cite news |title='World's oldest wine' found in 8,000-year-old jars in Georgia |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41977709 |work=BBC News |date=13 November 2017 |archive-date=14 November 2017 |access-date=8 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114041222/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41977709 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="archeologyMethodTheory2014322">{{cite journal |last1=Guerra-Doce |first1=Elisa |title=The Origins of Inebriation: Archaeological Evidence of the Consumption of Fermented Beverages and Drugs in Prehistoric Eurasia |journal=Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory |date=September 2015 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=751–782 |doi=10.1007/s10816-014-9205-z }}</ref> The [[Classical antiquity|classical era]] saw the emergence of several kingdoms, such as [[Colchis]] and [[Kingdom of Iberia|Iberia]], that formed the nucleus of the modern Georgian state. In the early 4th century, Georgians officially [[Christianization of the Kingdom of Iberia|adopted Christianity]], which contributed to [[Unification of the Georgian realm|their unification]] under the [[Kingdom of Georgia]]. Georgia reached [[Georgian Golden Age|its Golden Age]] during the [[High Middle Ages]] under the reigns of King [[David IV]] and his great-granddaughter [[Tamar I|Tamar]]. Beginning in the 15th century, the kingdom [[Collapse of the Georgian realm|declined and disintegrated]] under relentless attacks from hostile empires like the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]], the [[Ottoman Empire]], and [[History of Iran|Persia]]. Georgia requested support from the [[Russian Empire]], which ended up [[Georgia within the Russian Empire|gradually annexing]] the country starting in 1801.

After the [[Russian Revolution]] in 1917, Georgia briefly emerged as [[Democratic Republic of Georgia|an independent republic]] under [[Treaty of Poti|German protection]].<ref name="Soviet power">{{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Stephen |date=27 October 2020|title=The establishment of Soviet power in Transcaucasia: The case of Georgia 1921–1928|journal=Soviet Studies|volume=40|issue=4|page=627 |doi=10.1080/09668138808411783}}</ref> However, the country was [[Soviet invasion of Georgia|invaded and annexed]] by the [[Red Army]] in 1921; it then became a [[Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic|republic of the Soviet Union]]. In the 1980s, an independence movement grew quickly, leading to [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union]] in April 1991. For much of the [[Post-Soviet states|subsequent decade]], the country endured economic crises, [[List of conflicts in territory of the former Soviet Union|political instability]], and secessionist wars in [[Abkhazia]] and [[South Ossetia]]. Following the peaceful [[Rose Revolution]] in 2003, Georgia strongly pursued a [[Western world|pro-Western]] foreign policy, introducing a series of [[Potential enlargement of the European Union|reforms aimed at integration]] into the [[European Union]] and [[Enlargement of NATO|NATO]]. This Western orientation led to [[Georgia–Russia relations|worsening relations with Russia]], culminating in the [[Russo-Georgian War]] of 2008 and continued Russian occupation of [[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|parts of Georgia]].

Georgia is a [[representative democracy]] governed as a [[unitary state|unitary]] [[parliamentary republic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution of Georgia |at=Article 1.1, 7.2, 45, 52 and 54 |url=https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/30346?publication=36 |publisher=The Legislative Herald of Georgia |date=29 June 2020 |access-date=2022-03-25 |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027061907/https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/30346?publication=36 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=undp>{{cite web |url=https://www.ge.undp.org/content/georgia/en/home/projects/PARLIAMENT.html |title=Consolidating Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia |publisher=UNDP Georgia |access-date=2022-03-25 |archive-date=19 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619184258/https://www.ge.undp.org/content/georgia/en/home/projects/PARLIAMENT.html  }}</ref> It is a [[developing country]] with a very high [[List of countries by Human Development Index|Human Development Index]] and an [[emerging market]] economy. Sweeping economic reforms since 2003 have resulted in one of the [[Ease of doing business index|freest business climates]] in the world, as well as greater [[Economic Freedom of the World|economic freedom]] and [[Global Corruption Barometer|transparency]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Georgia |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-investment-climate-statements/georgia/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=18 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718133937/https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-investment-climate-statements/georgia/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, Georgia became the second country [[Cannabis in Georgia (country)|to legalize cannabis]], and the first former socialist state to do so. Georgia is a member of numerous international organizations, including the [[Council of Europe]], [[Eurocontrol]], [[Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation|BSEC]], [[GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development|GUAM]], and [[Energy Community]]. As part of the [[Association Trio]], Georgia is an official candidate for [[Potential enlargement of the European Union|membership in the European Union]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2023/12/14-15/|title=European Council|website=Consilium|date=26 October 2023|access-date=15 December 2023|archive-date=3 July 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250703042603/https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2023/12/14-15/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since October 2024, Georgia has been immersed in a [[2024–2026 Georgian political crisis|deep political crisis]].

== Etymology ==
{{anchor|Etymology}}

=== Names of Georgia ===
{{Main|Names of Georgia}}

[[File:World map by Pietro Vesconte - Georgia.jpg|thumb|left|150px|"Georgia" on a medieval ''mappa mundi'', AD 1320]]
[[Ancient Greeks]] ([[Strabo]], [[Herodotus]], [[Plutarch]], [[Homer]], etc.) and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] ([[Titus Livius]], [[Tacitus]], etc.) referred to early western Georgians as [[Colchis|Colchians]] and eastern Georgians as [[Kingdom of Iberia|Iberians]] ({{lang|grc-Latn|Iberoi}}, {{lang|grc|Ἰβηροι}} in some Greek sources).<ref>{{cite book |author=David Braund |title=A History of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=[https://archive.org/details/georgiainantiqui0000brau/page/17 17–18] |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-19-814473-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/georgiainantiqui0000brau}}</ref>

The first mention of the name ''Georgia'' is in Italian on the {{lang|la|[[mappa mundi]]}} of [[Pietro Vesconte]] dated 1320.<ref>[[Rouben Galichian]] (2007) Countries South of the Caucasus in Medieval Maps: Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. pp. 188–189</ref> At the early stage of its appearance in the Latin world, the name was often spelled ''Jorgia''.<ref>Boeder; et al. (2002). Philology, typology and language structure. Peter Lang. p. 65. {{ISBN|978-0820459912}}</ref> Lore-based theories were given by traveller [[Jacques de Vitry]], who explained the name's origin by the popularity of [[Saint George]] among Georgians,<ref>[[Grigol Peradze|Peradze, Gregory]]. "The Pilgrims' derivation of the name Georgia". ''Georgica'', Autumn, 1937, nos. 4 & 5, 208–209</ref> while [[Jean Chardin]] thought that ''Georgia'' came from the Greek {{lang|grc|γεωργός}} ('tiller of the land').

Modern scholarship generally derives the name from the Persian term ''Gurj'' ({{langx|fa|گرج}}), a historical ethnonym for [[Georgians]]. The ultimate origin of this term is debated, though it may be connected to ''gurğān'', a region name meaning "land of wolves."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hock|first1=Hans Henrich|last2=Zgusta|first2=Ladislav|title=Historical, Indo-European, and Lexicographical Studies|date=1997|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-012884-0|page=211}}</ref> From Persian, the term was borrowed into Byzantine Greek, Slavic, and later Western European languages.{{sfnp|Mikaberidze|2015|p=3}}{{sfnp|Rapp|2014|p=21}} Its incorporation into their languages was also because of its similarity to Saint George.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Amari |first1=Clare |last2=Hernandez |first2=Kristan |last3=Lehrer-Small |first3=Asher |title=A.I. Seems to Be Getting Its Georgias Mixed Up |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/world/europe/georgia-name-confusion.html |access-date=30 May 2026 |work=The New York Times |volume=CLXXV |issue=60,900 |date=30 May 2026}}</ref> The adoption of the term in [[Western Europe]] coincided with increased contact during the [[Crusades]] and trade through [[Black Sea]] ports controlled by [[Genoese colonies|Genoese merchants]]. The association with Saint George, a popular figure in medieval Christendom, may have reinforced the exonym's appeal in Latin Europe.

The native name is {{lang|ka-Latn|Sakartvelo}} ({{wikt-lang|ka|საქართველო}}; 'land of [[Kartvelians]]'), derived from the [[Kartli]] region, recorded from the 9th century and in extended usage referring to the entire medieval [[Kingdom of Georgia]] prior to the 13th century. The Georgian [[circumfix]] {{lang|ka-Latn|sa}}-X-{{lang|ka-Latn|o}} is a standard geographic construction designating 'the area where X dwell', where X is an [[ethnonym]].<ref name="Rapp">Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', pp. 419–423. Peeters Publishers, {{ISBN|90-429-1318-5}}</ref> The self-designation used by ethnic Georgians is {{lang|ka-Latn|Kartvelebi}} ({{lang|ka|ქართველები}}, i.e. 'Kartvelians'), first attested in the ''[[Umm Leisun inscription]]'' found in the [[Old City of Jerusalem]], dated to the 5th or 6th century.

The medieval ''[[the Georgian Chronicles|Georgian Chronicles]]'' present an eponymous ancestor of the Kartvelians, [[Kartlos]], a great-grandson of [[Japheth]] whom medieval chroniclers believed to have been the root of the local name of their kingdom. However, scholars agree that the word ''Kartli'' is derived from the ''Karts'', a proto-Kartvelian tribe that emerged as a dominant regional group in ancient times.{{sfnp|Mikaberidze|2015|p=3}} The name {{lang|ka-Latn|Sakartvelo}} ({{lang|ka|საქართველო}}) consists of two parts. Its root, {{lang|ka-Latn|kartvel-i}} ({{lang|ka|ქართველ-ი}}), specifies an inhabitant of Kartli, or Iberia as it is known in sources of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Constantine Porphyrogenitus|title=De Administrando Imperio|editor1=Gyula Moravcsik |others=translated by [[Romilly James Heald Jenkins|R.J.H Jenkins]]|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies|year=1967|title-link=De Administrando Imperio|author-link=Constantine Porphyrogenitus}}</ref>

=== State name ===
The official name is "Georgia" per the English-language version of the [[Constitution of Georgia (country)|Georgian Constitution]],<ref>{{citation|chapter=Article 2.1|title=Constitution of Georgia|publisher=Legislative Herald of Georgia|chapter-url=https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/30346?publication=36|quote='Georgia' is the name of the state of Georgia.|access-date=25 March 2022|archive-date=27 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027061907/https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/30346?publication=36|url-status=live}}</ref> adopted in 1995. In Georgia's two official languages ([[Georgian language|Georgian]] and [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]), the country is named {{lang|ka|საქართველო}}<ref>{{citation|chapter=Article 2.1|title={{lang|ka|საქართველოს კონსტიტუცია}} ({{translation|Constitution of Georgia}})|publisher=Legislative Herald of Georgia|chapter-url=https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/30346?publication=36|quote={{lang|ka|საქართველოს სახელმწიფოს სახელწოდებაა "საქართველო".}}|access-date=29 May 2025|archive-date=21 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521035212/https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/30346?publication=36|url-status=live}}</ref>  ({{translit|ka|Sakartvelo}}) and {{lang|ab|Қырҭтәыла}} ({{translit|ab|Kərttʷʼəla}}) respectively. Prior to the adoption of the constitution in 1995 and following the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolution of the USSR]], the country was officially called the "Republic of Georgia".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Tbilisi |title=Tbilisi |date=11 July 2023 |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |quote=Tbilisi, formerly Tiflis, capital of the republic of Georgia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-03-14 |title=Georgia country profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17301647 |access-date=2025-03-13 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=18 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118120912/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17301647 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several languages continue to use the Russian variant of the country's name, ''Gruzia'', which the Georgian authorities have sought to replace through diplomatic campaigns. Since 2006, Israel,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/by-georgia-dont-call-us-gruzia |title='By Georgia! Don't call us Gruzia' |date=17 May 2006 |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=The Jerusalem Post |last=Horovitz |first=David |archive-date=19 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119134003/https://www.jpost.com/international/by-georgia-dont-call-us-gruzia |url-status=live }}</ref> Japan,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.trend.az/scaucasus/georgia/2324328.html |title=Japan intends to officially use 'Georgia' instead of 'Gruzia' |date=21 October 2014 |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Trend News Agency |archive-date=19 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119134008/https://en.trend.az/scaucasus/georgia/2324328.html |url-status=live }}</ref> South Korea<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eurasianet.org/georgia-stop-calling-me-gruzia |title=Georgia: Stop Calling Me "Gruzia" |date=28 June 2011 |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Eurasianet |last=Lomsadze |first=Giorgi}}</ref> and Hungary<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://miniszterelnok.hu/orban-viktor-georgiaban-targyal/ |title=Orbán Viktor Georgiában tárgyal|date=2024-10-27|accessdate=2025-03-26|website=miniszterelnok.hu |language=hu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://miniszterelnok.hu/orban-viktor-sajtonyilatkozata-magyarorszag-es-georgia-kormanyanak-kozos-munkauleset-kovetoen/|title=Orbán Viktor sajtónyilatkozata Magyarország és Georgia kormányának közös munkaülését követően|date=2023-10-12|accessdate=2025-03-26|website=miniszterelnok.hu|language=hu|archive-date=31 March 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250331171809/https://miniszterelnok.hu/orban-viktor-sajtonyilatkozata-magyarorszag-es-georgia-kormanyanak-kozos-munkauleset-kovetoen/|url-status=live}}</ref> officially changed their appellation of the country to variants of the English ''Georgia''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia_asks_friends_to_stop_calling_it_gruzia/24264848.html |title=Georgia Asks Friends To Stop Calling It 'Gruzia' |date=13 July 2011 |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |last=Rekhviashvili |first=Jimsher |archive-date=19 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119134006/https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia_asks_friends_to_stop_calling_it_gruzia/24264848.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, Lithuania became the first country in the world to adopt ''Sakartvelas'' in all official communications.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1317371/lithuania-approves-sakartvelo-as-official-name-for-georgia |title=Lithuania approves Sakartvelo as official name for Georgia |date=11 January 2021 |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=LRT |archive-date=16 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216075811/https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1317371/lithuania-approves-sakartvelo-as-official-name-for-georgia |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Georgia (country)}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of Georgian (country) history}}

=== Prehistory ===
{{see also|Prehistoric Georgia}}
{{multiple image
| total_width       = 400
| align             = right
| image1            = State Museum of History of Georgia (Tbilisi Archaeological Museum) 3.jpg
| image2            = Bronze Lamp from Vani, of Ariadne, Heracles and Elephants - 1st century BCE 6.jpg
| footer            = ''From left to right:'' ''[[Patera]]'' depicting Roman emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]] uncovered in Georgia, 2nd century AD. Bronze lamp featuring [[Heracles]] and [[Ariadne]], 1st century BC, Georgian National Museum  
}}

The oldest traces of [[archaic humans]] date from approximately 1.8&nbsp;million years ago in the form of the [[Dmanisi hominins]], a subspecies of ''[[Homo erectus]]'' representing the oldest-known fossils of hominins in [[Eurasia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/oddly-enough/georgian-archaeologists-find-18-million-year-old-human-tooth-2022-09-09/ |title=Georgian archaeologists find 1.8-million-year-old human tooth |date=9 September 2022 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Reuters |archive-date=26 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126194539/https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/oddly-enough/georgian-archaeologists-find-18-million-year-old-human-tooth-2022-09-09/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Buffered by the [[Caucasus Mountains|Caucasus]] and benefiting from the [[Black Sea]] ecosystem, the region seems to have served as a [[Refugium (population biology)|refugium]] throughout the [[Pleistocene]],<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Earliest Occupation of Europe |last=Roebroeks |first=Wil |publisher=Modderman Stichting / Faculty of Archaeology – Leiden University |year=1993 |isbn=9789073368071 |location=Leiden |pages=207–209}}</ref> while the first continuous primitive settlements date back to the [[Middle Paleolithic]], close to 200,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book |title=საქართველოს ისტორია |last=Tsotskolauri |first=Avtandil |publisher=Saunje |year=2017 |isbn=978-9941-451-79-9 |location=Tbilisi |pages=12–17}}</ref> During the [[Upper Paleolithic]], settlements developed mostly in western Georgia, in the valleys of the [[Rioni]] and [[Qvirila]] rivers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kot |first1=Małgorzata |last2=Przeździecki |first2=Michał |last3=Szymczak |first3=Karol |last4=Moskal-del-Hoyo |first4=Magdalena |last5=Tushabramishvili |first5=Nikoloz |last6=Jakeli |first6=Nino |title=Filling the gaps: Late Upper Palaeolithic settlement in Gvardjilas Klde, Georgia |journal=Quaternary International |date=June 2021 |volume=587-588 |pages=384–399 |doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2020.07.034 |bibcode=2021QuInt.587..384K }}</ref>

Signs of agriculture date back to at least the 6th millennium BC, especially in western Georgia, while the [[Kura (South Caucasus river)|Mtkvari]] basin became stably populated in the 5th millennium BC, as evidenced with the rise of various cultures closely associated with the [[Fertile Crescent]], including the [[Trialetian Mesolithic]], the [[Shulaveri–Shomu culture]], and the [[Leyla-Tepe culture]].<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://journals.openedition.org/paleorient/602 |title=Rethinking architectural techniques of the Southern Caucasus in the 6th millennium BC: A re-examination of former data and new insights |access-date=2023-11-27 |journal=Paléorient |last=Baudouin |first=Emmanuel |date=2019 |volume=45-1 |issue=45–1 |pages=115–150 |doi=10.4000/paleorient.602 |archive-date=26 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126202951/https://journals.openedition.org/paleorient/602 |url-status=live }}</ref> Archaeological findings show that settlements in modern-day Georgia were responsible for the first use of fibers, possibly for clothing, more than 34,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/oldest-known-fibers-discovered/ |title=Oldest-known fibers to be used by humans discovered |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=The Harvard Gazette |last=Lavole |first=Amy |archive-date=26 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126202952/https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/oldest-known-fibers-discovered/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It also hosts the earliest known [[Georgian wine|sites of winemaking]] (dating to {{circa|6000 BCE}})<ref>{{cite news |title='World's oldest wine' found in 8,000-year-old jars in Georgia |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41977709 |publisher=BBC News |date=13 November 2017 |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-date=14 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114041222/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41977709 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Sakdrisi|first signs of gold mining]] (3rd millennium BC).<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/2037?lang=en |title=Bronze Age gold in Southern Georgia |access-date=2023-11-27 |journal=ArcheoSciences |last=Hauotmann |first=Andreas |date=2009 |volume=33 |issue=33 |pages=75–82 |doi=10.4000/archeosciences.2037 |archive-date=21 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921103141/http://archeosciences.revues.org/2037?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Kura–Araxes culture|Kura-Araxes]], [[Trialeti-Vanadzor culture|Trialeti-Vanadzor]], and [[Colchian culture]]s coincided with the development of proto-Kartvelian tribes that may have come from [[Anatolia]] during the expansion of the [[Hittites|Hittite Empire]], including the [[Mushki]], [[Laz people|Laz]], and [[Byzeres]]. Some historians have suggested that the collapse of the Hittite world in the [[Late Bronze Age collapse|Late Bronze Age]] led to an expansion of the influence of these tribes to the [[Mediterranean Sea]], notably with the [[Tabal (state)|Kingdom of Tabal]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Historical-Ethnological problems of Georgia, the Caucasus and the Near East |last=Javakhishvili |first=Ivane |publisher=Tbilisi State University |year=1950 |location=Tbilisi |pages=130–135}}</ref>

=== Antiquity ===
[[File:King Mirian III.jpg|thumb|King [[Mirian III]] converted the nation to Christianity in the 4th century.]]
The classical period saw the rise of several Georgian states, including [[Colchis]] in western Georgia, where [[Greek mythology]] located the [[Golden Fleece]] sought after by the [[Argonauts]]. Archaeological evidence points to a wealthy kingdom in Colchis as early as the 14th century BC<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2022/1715 |title=Archaeologists discover 14th–12th centuries BCE Colchis artefacts in western Georgia |date=13 May 2022 |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=Agenda.ge |archive-date=31 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831220903/https://agenda.ge/en/news/2022/1715 |url-status=live }}</ref> and an extensive trade network with [[Greek colonisation|Greek colonies]] on the eastern Black Sea shore (such as [[Sukhumi|Dioscurias]] and [[Phasis (town)|Phasis]]).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Licheli |first1=Vakhtang |title=Geoarchaeology of Phasis (Georgia) |journal=Méditerranée |date=2016 |volume=126 |pages=119–128 |doi=10.4000/mediterranee.8317 }}</ref> The region was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Pontus]] and then by the [[Roman Republic]].

Eastern Georgia remained a decentralized mosaic of various clans (ruled by individual ''[[mamasakhlisi]]'') until the 4th century BC when it was conquered by [[Alexander the Great]], eventually leading to the creation of the [[Kingdom of Iberia]] under the protectorate of the [[Seleucid Empire]], an early example of advanced state organization under one king and an aristocratic hierarchy.<ref>{{cite book|title=Lives and Legends of the Georgian Saints|publisher=[[Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary|St. Vladimir's Seminary Press]]|edition=2nd|year=1997|author=David Marshall Lang|isbn=978-0-913836-29-3|author-link=David Marshall Lang}}</ref> Various wars with the [[Roman Empire]], [[Parthian Empire|Parthia]], and [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia]] made Iberia regularly change its allegiance, though it remained a Roman client state for most of its history.

In 337, King [[Mirian III]] adopted [[Christianization of the Kingdom of Iberia|Christianity as the state religion]] of Iberia, beginning the Christianization of the Western Caucasus region and solidly anchoring it in Rome's sphere of influence by abandoning the ancient [[Georgian mythology|Georgian polytheistic religion]] heavily influenced by [[Zoroastrianism]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Studies in Christian Caucasian History|author=Cyril Toumanoff|publisher=[[Georgetown University Press]].|year=1967|pages=83–84, 377|author-link=Cyril Toumanoff}}</ref> However, the [[Peace of Acilisene]] in 384 formalized the [[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian]] control over the entire Caucasus, though Christian rulers of Iberia sought to rebel at times, leading to devastating wars in the 5th–6th centuries, most famously under the rule of King [[Vakhtang I]] who expanded Iberia to its largest historical extent by capturing all of western Georgia and building his capital at [[Tbilisi]].

=== Medieval unification ===
[[File:Near Mestia, Svan towers (35252565354).jpg|thumb|Northwestern Georgia is home to the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] [[Svan towers|towers]] of [[Ushguli]] and [[Mestia]].]]
In 580, the Sasanian Empire abolished the Kingdom of Iberia, leading to the disintegration of its constituent territories into various feudal regions by the [[early Middle Ages]]. The [[Roman–Persian wars]] plunged the region into chaos, with both [[Persia]] and [[Constantinople]] supporting various warring factions in the Caucasus, however, the [[Byzantine Empire]] was able to establish control over Georgian territories by the end of the 6th century, ruling Iberia indirectly through a local ''[[Kouropalates]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Asatiani|2009|pp=48–50}}</ref>

In 645, the Arabs invaded southeastern Georgia, starting an [[Early Muslim conquests|extended period of Muslim domination]] in the region; this also led to the establishment of several feudal states seeking independence from each other, such as the [[Emirate of Tbilisi]] and the [[Kingdom of Kakheti-Hereti|Principality of Kakheti]].<ref>{{harvnb|Asatiani|2009|pp=54–61}}</ref> Western Georgia remained mostly a Byzantine protectorate, especially following the [[Lazic War]].<ref>{{harvnb|Asatiani|2009|pp=47–48}}</ref>

[[File:გელათის მონასტერი Gelati Monastery (48743471618).jpg|thumb|left|[[Gelati Monastery]], a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]]]

The lack of a central government allowed the rise of the [[Bagrationi dynasty]] in the early 9th century. Consolidating lands in the southwestern region of [[Tao-Klarjeti]], Prince [[Ashot I of Iberia|Ashot I]] (813–830) used infighting between Arab governors to expand his influence to Iberia and was recognized as Presiding Prince of Iberia by both the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] and the Byzantine Empire. Though Ashot's descendants formed competing princely lines, [[Adarnase IV of Iberia|Adarnase IV]] managed to unify most Georgian lands (except for Kakheti and Abkhazia) and was crowned [[Kingdom of the Iberians|King of the Iberians]] in 888, restoring the monarchy that had been abolished three centuries prior.<ref>{{harvnb|Asatiani|2009|pp=67–70}}</ref>

In western Georgia, the [[Kingdom of Abkhazia]] benefited from the weakening of Byzantium in the region to unify various tribes and become one of the most powerful states of the Caucasus in the 8th century.<ref>{{cite book|title=Nation-building in the post-Soviet borderlands|last=Smith|first=Graham|author2=Vivien Law|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0-521-59968-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/nationbuildingin0000unse/page/56 56]|url=https://archive.org/details/nationbuildingin0000unse/page/56}}</ref> In the 9th and 10th centuries, Abkhazia grew its influence through several military campaigns and came to control much of Iberia and competing with the Bagrationi. Dynastic conflicts weakened Abkhazia in the second half of the 10th century while in Tao-Klarjeti, Prince [[David III of Tao|David III]] used his influence within [[Byzantine Anatolia]] to empower the Bagrationi. [[Bagrat III of Georgia|Bagrat III]], heir of the Bagrationi dynasty, successively became King of Abkhazia (978), Prince of Tao-Klarjeti (1000), and King of the Iberians (1008), allowing him to unify most Georgian feudal states and be crowned in 1010 as [[List of monarchs of Georgia|King of Georgia]].
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 250
| header            = 14th century Georgian frescoes
| image1            = Fresco of Ubisi (3).jpg
| class1            = bg-transparent
| caption1          = Medieval monarchs of Georgia
| image2            = Fresco of Ubisi (7).jpg
| caption2          = Depiction of the Holy Trinity painted by [[Damiane]].
}}

=== Golden Age and division ===
For much of the 11th century, the nascent Georgian kingdom experienced geopolitical and internal difficulties, with various noble factions opposed to the centralization of the Georgian state. They were often backed by the Byzantine Empire, which feared a dominion of the Caucasus region by the Bagrationi dynasty, and in some instances fuelled internal conflict through aristocratic families seeking more power. However, ties between Byzantium and Georgia were normalized when the two countries faced a new common enemy, the rising [[Seljuk Empire]] in the 1060s. Following the decisive Byzantine defeat at the [[Battle of Manzikert]] in 1071, Constantinople started to retreat from eastern Anatolia and entrusted Georgia with its administration, placing Georgia at the forefront [[Georgian–Seljuk wars|of war with the Turks]] in the 1080s.

The Kingdom of Georgia reached its zenith in the 12th to early 13th centuries. This period during the reigns of [[David IV]] (r. 1089–1125) and his great-granddaughter [[Tamar I|Tamar]] (r. 1184–1213) has been widely termed as the [[Georgian Golden Age]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Lang |first=David Marshall |author-link=David Marshall Lang |date=1976 |title=Modern History of Soviet Georgia |location=London |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=29 |isbn=978-0-8371-8183-7 }}</ref> This early Georgian renaissance, which preceded its Western European analog, was characterized by impressive military victories, territorial expansion, and a cultural renaissance in architecture, literature, philosophy and the sciences.<ref>{{cite book|title=Trust and Conflict: Representation, Culture and Dialogue|editor1= Ivana Marková |editor2=Alex Gillespie|page=43 |series=Cultural Dynamics of Social Representation|year=2011|isbn=978-0-415-59346-5}}</ref> 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]]'', considered a national epic.<ref>{{cite book |title=Georgian Literature and Culture|author1=Howard Aronson|author2=Dodona Kiziria|publisher=Slavica |year=1999|page=119|isbn= 978-0-89357-278-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Suny|first1=Ronald Grigor |title=Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia|date=1996|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=978-0-7881-2813-4 |page=184|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2W1YOG3N10C|quote=The Knight in the Panther Skin occupies a unique position as the Georgian national epic.|access-date=1 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221175149/https://books.google.com/books?id=B2W1YOG3N10C|archive-date=21 December 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Betania Monastery, George IV Lasha, Tamar and George III of Georgia (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Tamar of Georgia|Queen Tamar]], the first woman to rule Georgia.{{sfnp|Eastmond|2010|p=109}}]]

David IV suppressed dissent of feudal lords and centralized power in his hands to effectively deal with foreign threats. In 1121, he decisively defeated much larger Turkish armies during the [[Battle of Didgori]] and abolished the [[Emirate of Tbilisi]].<ref name="javaxisvili">{{cite book |language=ka |author-link=Ivane Javakhishvili |last=Javakhishvili |first=Ivane |year=1982 |title=k'art'veli eris istoria |trans-title=The History of the Georgian Nation |volume=2 |pages=184–187 |publisher=[[Tbilisi State University]] Press}}</ref> The 29-year reign of Tamar, the first female ruler of Georgia, is considered the most successful in Georgian history.{{sfnp|Eastmond|2010|p=93}} Tamar was given the title "king of kings"{{sfnp|Eastmond|2010|p=109}} and succeeded in neutralizing her opposition while embarking on an energetic foreign policy aided by the downfall of the rival powers of the Seljuks and Byzantium. Supported by a powerful military elite, Tamar was able to build on the successes of her predecessors to consolidate an empire that dominated the Caucasus, and extended over large parts of present-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, eastern Turkey, and northern Iran, and used the vacuum of power left by the [[Fourth Crusade]] to create the [[Empire of Trebizond]] as a Georgian vassal state.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PeEeAQAAMAAJ| title=Imagining history at the crossroads: Persia, Byzantium, and the architects of the written Georgian past, Volume 2 p 652 | publisher=University of Michigan 1997 |access-date= 25 September 2016| year=1997 | isbn=978-0-591-30828-0 }}</ref>

The revival of the Kingdom of Georgia was set back after Tbilisi was captured and destroyed by the Khwarezmian leader [[Jalal al-Din Mangburni|Jalal ad-Din]] in 1226,<ref>{{cite book|author=René Grousset, Rene|title='The Empire of the Steppes|publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]]|year=1991|page=260}}</ref> followed by devastating invasions by Mongol ruler [[Genghis Khan]]. The Mongols were expelled by [[George V of Georgia|George V the Brilliant]] (r. 1299–1302), known for reuniting eastern and western Georgia and restoring the country's previous strength and Christian culture. After his death, local rulers fought for their independence from central Georgian rule, until the total disintegration of the kingdom in the 15th century. Georgia was further weakened by several disastrous invasions by Mongols under [[Timur]]. Invasions continued, giving the kingdom no time for restoration, with both [[Qara Qoyunlu]] and [[Aq Qoyunlu]] Turkomans constantly raiding its southern provinces.

=== Tripartite division===
[[File:King George II of Imereti Gelati fresco.jpg|right|thumb|upright|King [[George II of Imereti|George II]] faced [[Feudalism|feudal]] warfare and Ottoman invasions.]]
The Kingdom of Georgia [[Collapse of the Georgian realm|collapsed]] into anarchy by 1466 and fragmented into three independent kingdoms and five semi-independent [[Principality|principalities]]. Neighbouring large empires subsequently exploited the internal division of the weakened country, and beginning in the 16th century, various Ottoman and Iranian forces subjugated western and eastern regions of Georgia, respectively.{{sfnp|Mikaberidze|2015|p=xxxi}} This pushed local Georgian rulers to seek closer ties with Russia. In 1649, the [[Kingdom of Imereti]] sent ambassadors to the Russian royal court, with Russia returning the favour in 1651. In the presence of these ambassadors, [[Alexander III of Imereti]] swore an oath of allegiance to Tsar [[Alexis of Russia]] on behalf of Imereti.<ref>" ნ. ტოლჩანოვის იმერეთში ელჩობის მუხლობრივი აღწერილობა, 1650–1652", გამოსცა ი. ცინცაძემ, თბ., 1970, გვ. 37–38</ref> Subsequent rulers also sought assistance from Pope [[Innocent XII]] but without success.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Შარაძე |first1=Გურამ |title=ბედნიერებისა და სათნოების საუნჯე : უორდროპები და საქართველო |trans-title=Treasure of Happiness and Virtue: The Wardrops and Georgia |date=1984 |publisher=თბილისი : საბჭოთა საქართველო |url=https://dspace.nplg.gov.ge/handle/1234/293835 |language=ka |pages=436–437 |archive-date=19 November 2021 |access-date=12 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119225115/https://dspace.nplg.gov.ge/handle/1234/293835 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The rulers of regions that remained partly [[Autonomy|autonomous]] organized rebellions on various occasions. As a result of incessant [[Ottoman–Persian Wars]] and deportations, the population of Georgia dwindled to 784,700 inhabitants at the end of the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|last1=ჯაოშვილი|first1=ვახტანგ |title=საქართველოს მოსახლეობა XVIII-XX საუკუნეებში: დემოგრაფიულ-გეოგრაფიული გამოკვლევა|date=1984 |publisher=მეცნიერება|page=72|edition=1st}}</ref> [[Eastern Georgia (country)|Eastern Georgia]], composed of the regions of [[Kartli]] and [[Kakheti]], had been under Iranian [[suzerainty]] since the [[Peace of Amasya]] signed with neighbouring rivalling Ottoman Turkey ([[Safavid Georgia]]). With the death of [[Nader Shah]] in 1747, both kingdoms broke free and were reunified through [[Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti|a personal union]] under the energetic king [[Heraclius II of Georgia|Heraclius II]], who succeeded in stabilizing Eastern Georgia to a degree.{{sfnp|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=328}}

In 1783, Russia and the eastern Georgian [[Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti]] signed the [[Treaty of Georgievsk]], which made eastern Georgia a protectorate of Russia, guaranteed its territorial integrity and the continuation of its reigning Bagrationi dynasty in return for prerogatives in the conduct of Georgian foreign affairs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/georgia.htm|script-title=ru:Георгиевский трактат|trans-title=Treaty of Georgievsk|date=24 July 1783|publisher=[[Moscow State University]]|access-date=1 February 2015|language=ru |archive-date=1 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501155836/http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/georgia.htm}}</ref>

Despite its commitment to defend Georgia, Russia rendered no assistance when the [[Qajar dynasty|Iranians]] invaded in 1795, [[Battle of Krtsanisi|capturing and sacking Tbilisi]] and massacring its inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.academia.edu/9137125|title=Relations between Tehran and Moscow, 1797–2014|access-date=17 May 2015|archive-date=1 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501122208/http://www.academia.edu/9137125/Relations_between_Tehran_and_Moscow_1979-2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Although Russia initiated a [[Persian Expedition of 1796|punitive campaign against Persia]] in 1796, the Russian Imperial authorities subsequently violated key promises of the Georgievsk Treaty and in 1801 proceeded to annex eastern Georgia, while abolishing the Georgian royal [[Bagrationi dynasty]], as well as the [[autocephaly]] of the [[Georgian Orthodox Church]]. [[Pyotr Bagration]], one of the descendants of the abolished house of Bagrationi, later joined the Russian army and became a prominent general in the Napoleonic wars.<ref>{{citation |last=Mikaberidze |first=Alexander |author-link=Alexander Mikaberidze |title=Peter Bagration: The Best Georgian General of the Napoleonic Wars |date=2009 |url=http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/bagration/c_bagration1.html |series=The Napoleon Series |editor-last=Burnham |editor-first=Robert |access-date=19 February 2019 |url-status=live |archive-date=16 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816052429/http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/bagration/c_bagration1.html}}</ref>

=== Within the Russian Empire ===
{{Main|Georgia within the Russian Empire}}

On 22 December 1800, [[Tsar]] [[Paul I of Russia]], at the alleged request of the Georgian King [[Giorgi XII of Kartli-Kakheti|George XII]], signed the proclamation on the incorporation of Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti) within the Russian Empire, which was finalized by a decree on 8 January 1801,{{sfnp|Gvosdev|2000|p=85}}{{sfnp|Avalov|1906|p=186}} and confirmed by Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] on 12 September 1801.{{sfnp|Gvosdev|2000|p=86}}{{sfnp|Lang|1957|p=249}} The [[Bagrationi]] royal family was deported from the kingdom. The Georgian envoy in [[Saint Petersburg]] reacted with a note of protest that was presented to the Russian vice-chancellor, Prince Kurakin.{{sfnp|Lang|1957|p=251}}

[[File:Андроников Иван Малхазович (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|right|During the [[Russian Empire]], numerous Georgians, like [[Ivane Andronikashvili]], rose high in the imperial army ranks.]]

In May 1801, under the oversight of General Carl Heinrich von Knorring, Imperial Russia transferred power in eastern Georgia to the government headed by General [[Ivan Petrovich Lazarev]].{{sfnp|Lang|1957|p=247}} The Georgian nobility did not accept the decree until 12 April 1802, when Knorring assembled the nobility at the [[Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral|Sioni Cathedral]] and forced them to take an oath on the [[Imperial Crown of Russia]]. Those who disagreed were temporarily arrested.{{sfnp|Lang|1957|p=252}}

In the summer of 1805, Russian troops on the Askerani River near Zagam defeated the Iranian army during the [[Russo-Persian War (1804–13)|1804–13 Russo-Persian War]] and saved Tbilisi from reconquest now that it was officially part of the Imperial territories. Russian suzerainty over eastern Georgia was officially finalized with Iran in 1813 following the [[Treaty of Gulistan]].<ref>Timothy C. Dowling [https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA728 ''Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208103437/https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA728 |date=8 February 2017 }} pp 728 ABC-CLIO, 2 December 2014 {{ISBN|1598849484}}</ref> Following the annexation of eastern Georgia, the western Georgian [[kingdom of Imereti]] was annexed by Tsar Alexander I. The last Imeretian king and the last Georgian Bagrationi ruler, [[Solomon II of Imereti|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.{{sfnp|Suny|1994|p=64}}

During the [[Russo-Turkish Wars]], numerous Georgians commanded Russian armies against the Turks, including [[Ivane Andronikashvili]], [[Ivane Jambakurian-Orbeliani]], and [[Ivane Bagration of Mukhrani]]. As result of these military campaigns against the [[Ottoman Empire]], from 1803 to 1878 several of Georgia's historic territories previously lost to the Turks – such as [[Adjara]] – were recovered and also incorporated into the Russian Empire. The principality of [[Guria]] was abolished and incorporated in 1829, while [[Svaneti]] was gradually annexed in 1858. [[Samegrelo|Mingrelia]], although a Russian protectorate since 1803, was not absorbed until 1867.<ref>Allen F. Chew: ''An Atlas of Russian History: Eleven Centuries of Changing Borders''. [[Yale University Press]], 1970, p. 74.</ref>

Russian rule offered the Georgians security from external threats, but it was also often heavy-handed and insensitive. By the late 19th century, [[Svaneti uprising of 1875–1876|discontent with the Russian authorities]] grew into a national revival movement led by [[Ilia Chavchavadze]]. 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. Both peasants and workers found expression for their discontent through revolts and strikes, culminating in the [[Revolution of 1905]]. The following years were marked by episodes of instability, with notable events like the [[Dusheti treasury heist|1906 Dusheti treasury heist]] conducted by Georgian nationalists and the subsequent [[1907 Tiflis bank robbery]] organized by the Bolsheviks.

=== Declaration of independence ===
{{Main|Democratic Republic of Georgia}}
[[File:British troops in Batumi, Georgia, 1920.jpg|left|thumb|[[British Empire|British]] troops marching in Batumi, Georgia, in 1920. Following [[World War I]], Britain replaced [[German Empire|German]] troops in Georgia.]]

After the [[Russian Revolution]] of 1917, the [[Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic]] was established with [[Nikolay Chkheidze]] acting as its president. This weak and short-lived federation also included neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan.<ref name="Soviet power" /> However, Georgians were not content with this cohabitation, and because of irreconcilable foreign policy differences Georgia declared independence on 26 May 1918, [[Treaty of Poti|becoming an ally]] of the [[German Empire]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Georgia Celebrates Independence Day|url=http://georgiatoday.ge/news/21292/Georgia-Celebrates-Independence-Day-|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Georgia Today on the Web|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705123407/http://georgiatoday.ge/news/21292/Georgia-Celebrates-Independence-Day-}}</ref>

Most Georgians were not supportive of Bolsheviks due to their penchant for violence and disregard for human life.<ref name="Rayfield2012humanlife">{{cite book |last=Rayfield |first=Donald |title=Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia |date=2012 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1-78023-030-6 |page=316 |quote= Bolshevik disregard for human life, hitherto typical of Cossacks, alienated most Georgians, and reinforced support for the Menshevik social democrats as humane, if disorganized, revolutionaries.}}</ref>
Consequently, the [[Menshevik]] [[Social Democratic Party of Georgia]] won the parliamentary election and its leader, [[Noe Zhordania]], became prime minister, with [[Nikolay Chkheidze]] as parliamentary president. Despite the subsequent Soviet takeover, Zhordania continued to be recognized as the legitimate head of the [[Government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in Exile|Georgian Government]] by France, UK, Belgium, and Poland through the 1930s.<ref>Stefan Talmon (1998), ''Recognition of Governments in International Law'', p. 289–290. [[Oxford University Press]], {{ISBN|0-19-826573-5}}.</ref>

[[File:Dadiani S.P.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Samson Dadiani]], one of the drafters of the original Georgian constitution, among the world's most [[progressivism|progressive]] at the time]]

The 1918 [[Georgian–Armenian War]], which erupted over parts of disputed provinces between Armenia and Georgia populated mostly by Armenians, ended because of British intervention. In 1918–1919, Georgian general [[Giorgi Mazniashvili]] led an [[Sochi conflict|attack]] against the [[White Army]] led by Moiseev and Denikin to claim the [[Black Sea]] coastline from [[Tuapse]] to [[Sochi]] and [[Adlersky City District|Adler]] for independent Georgia.<ref name="shirokov">{{cite book|last1=Широков|first1=И. В.|last2=Тарасов|first2=А. А.|title=Наша маленькая Хоста – Исторический очерк|url=http://www.sss-tmas.org/index.php/component/docman/doc_download/14-our-little-khosta?Itemid=|year=2010|location=Sochi|language=ru|access-date=2 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220124843/http://www.sss-tmas.org/index.php/component/docman/doc_download/14-our-little-khosta?Itemid=|archive-date=20 February 2014}}</ref>

In 1920 [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Soviet Russia]] recognized Georgia's independence with the [[Treaty of Moscow (1920)|Treaty of Moscow]] but the Russians effectively discarded this treaty only a year later, when the Red Army [[Red Army invasion of Georgia|attacked Georgia in 1921]] and formally annexed it into the Soviet Union in 1922.<ref name=":0" />

Although short-lived, the Democratic Republic of Georgia continues to be an inspiration for contemporary Georgia due to its legacy of democracy and pluralism.<ref>[https://civil.ge/archives/399595 Georgia Marks Centennial of the First Constitution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250708171852/https://civil.ge/archives/399595 |date=8 July 2025 }}, Civil Georgia, 2021, quote: "Georgian President [[Salome Zurabishvili]] underscored today that the first Constitution was "one of the most progressive" legal documents in Europe at that time, as it guaranteed universal suffrage, the abolition of the death penalty, fully proportional parliamentary elections, balanced governance, and free development of ethnic minorities, among others."</ref> The legal and constitutional order of the first republic was considered highly progressive in its time and received international praise.<ref name="Lee2017">{{cite book |last=Lee |first=Eric |title=The Experiment: Georgia's Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921 |publisher=[[Zed Books]] |date=September 15, 2017 |isbn=9781783609581 |quote=The Georgian Constitution was seen as highly progressive in its time and future British Labour Prime Minister [[Ramsay MacDonald]] wrote, 'I familiarised myself with its constitution, its social and economic reconstruction and what I saw there, I wish I could see in my country too.'}}</ref> DRG was [[Women's suffrage#Timeline|one of the first countries]] in Europe to grant women the right to vote as enshrined in the Georgian constitution, which was "unusual in most European constitutions at the time".<ref>{{cite book |editor-first1=Stephen F. |editor-last1=Jones |editor1-link=Stephen F. Jones |title=The Making of Modern Georgia, 1918–2012 |date=2014 |doi=10.4324/9781315818207 |isbn=978-1-315-81820-7 |page=150 }}</ref> Several women of varying backgrounds were elected to the Georgian parliament.<ref>[https://agenda.ge/multimedia/georgias-1028-days-of-Independence/img/infogr/p4-min.png "Georgia's First Women Lawmakers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528124131/https://agenda.ge/multimedia/georgias-1028-days-of-Independence/img/infogr/p4-min.png |date=28 May 2021 }}, Georgia's 1028 Days of Independence, Agenda, 2021</ref>

=== Soviet Socialist Republic ===
{{Main|Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic|Georgian Affair}}

In February 1921, during the [[Russian Civil War]], the [[Red Army invasion of Georgia|Red Army advanced into Georgia]] and brought the local Bolsheviks to power. The Georgian army was defeated, and the Social Democratic government fled the country. On [[Soviet Occupation Day, Georgia|25 February 1921]], the Red Army entered Tbilisi and established a government of workers' and peasants' [[Soviet (council)|soviets]] with [[Filipp Makharadze]] as acting head of state. Georgia was incorporated into what would soon become the [[Soviet Union]]. Soviet rule was firmly established only after local insurrections were defeated.<ref>Knight, Amy. ''Beria: Stalin's First Lieutenant'', [[Princeton University Press]], [[Princeton, New Jersey]], p. 237, {{ISBN|978-0-691-01093-9}}.</ref> Georgia would remain an unindustrialized periphery of the USSR until the [[First five-year plan (Soviet Union)|first five-year plan]] (1928–1932), when it became a major centre for textile goods.

[[File:Georgian revolutionary and military figure Leo Kereselidze.jpg|thumb|right|Georgian nationalist and anti-Soviet campaigner [[Leo Kereselidze]] was among those forced into exile by Bolshevik takeover]]

[[Joseph Stalin]], an ethnic Georgian, was prominent among the Bolsheviks,<ref>"[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ethnic-tensions-war-in-the-caucasus-is-stalins-legacy-899615.html Ethnic tensions: War in the Caucasus is Stalin's legacy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620180716/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ethnic-tensions-war-in-the-caucasus-is-stalins-legacy-899615.html |date=20 June 2018 }}". ''The Independent''. 17 August 2008.</ref> ultimately becoming the ''[[de facto]]'' leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death on 5 March 1953. Fellow Georgians such as [[Lavrentiy Beria]] and [[Vsevolod Merkulov]] likewise held powerful positions in the Soviet government. Stalin's [[Great Purge]] between 1936 and 1938 led to thousands of Georgian dissidents, intellectuals, and other presumed threats to Soviet authority being executed or sent to [[Gulag|Gulag penal labor camps]], severely truncating the nation's cultural and intellectual life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soviet Georgia: A Detailed Historical Analysis of the 20th Century Georgia |url=https://georgia.to/soviet-georgia/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=georgia.to |language=en |archive-date=21 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721062908/https://georgia.to/soviet-georgia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

During [[World War II]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] led an [[Operation Barbarosa|Axis invasion of the Soviet Union]] in June 1941 with the aim of conquering all territory up to the [[Ural Mountains]]. As the initial operation stalled, the Axis launched the ''[[Case Blue|Fall Blau]]'' offensive in 1942 to take control of strategic Caucasian oil fields and munitions factories; ultimately, Axis troops were stopped before reaching Georgian borders. Over 700,000 Georgians—constituting about 20 percent of the population—fought in the [[Red Army]] to repel the invaders and advance towards Berlin; an estimated 350,000 were killed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgian World War II hero's remains return home |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2015/2165 |work=Agenda.ge |date=30 September 2015 |archive-date=21 September 2020 |access-date=16 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921122735/https://agenda.ge/en/news/2015/2165 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After [[Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin|Stalin's death]], [[Nikita Khrushchev]] became the leader of the Soviet Union and implemented a policy of [[de-Stalinization]]. Khrushchev's purges were met with [[1956 Georgian demonstrations|riots]] in Tbilisi that had to be dispersed by military force. This violent turn of events that compromised Georgian loyalty to the Soviet Union contributed to the nation's consolidation.<ref name="a&c">[[Svante Cornell|Cornell, Svante E.]] (2002), ''Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus: Cases in Georgia'', pp. 146–149. [[Uppsala University]], Department of Peace and Conflict Research, {{ISBN|91-506-1600-5}}</ref> [[1978 Georgian demonstrations]] saw the return of mass anti-Soviet protests, but this time government backed down.

Throughout the remainder of the Soviet period, Georgia's economy continued to grow and experience significant improvement, though it increasingly exhibited blatant corruption and alienation of the government from the people. With the beginning of [[perestroika]] in 1986, the Georgian Soviet leadership proved so incapable of handling the changes that most Georgians, including [[wikt:Special:Search/rank and file|rank and file]] communists, concluded that the only way forward was a break from the existing Soviet system.

=== Independence, civil wars ===
{{See also|Republic of Georgia (1990–1992)}}
[[File:1993 Georgia war1.svg|thumb|[[Georgian civil war of 1991–1993|Georgian Civil War]] and the [[War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)|War in Abkhazia]] in August–October 1993]]
Starting in 1988, mass protests erupted in Georgia in favour of independence, led by [[Georgian nationalism|Georgian nationalists]] such as [[Merab Kostava]] and [[Zviad Gamsakhurdia]]. The following year, the [[April 9 tragedy|brutal suppression by Soviet forces of a large peaceful demonstration held in Tbilisi on 4–9 April 1989]] proved to be a pivotal event in discrediting the continuation of Soviet rule over the country.<ref>{{cite book|author=Darrell Slider|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4NCxG8YCScYC|title=Problems of Communism: November—December 1991|volume=15|publisher=Documentary Studies Section, International Information Administration|year=1991|pages=66|language=en|chapter=Georgia's independence|quote=The April 9 "Tragedy", as it came to be called, had a searing effect on Georgian public. The republic leadership lost what authority it had enjoyed in the eyes of Georgians, and support for independence became overwhelming— developments confirmed by polls initiated by the Communist leadership itself.}}</ref>

In October 1990, the first multi-party [[1990 Georgian Supreme Soviet election|elections]] were held in Soviet Georgia, which were the first multi-party elections in the entire Soviet Union, in which the opposition groups were registered as formal political parties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/10/30/georgia-votes-for-change/|title=Georgia Votes for Change|website=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|date=30 October 1990|access-date=27 March 2024|archive-date=30 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230223956/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/10/30/georgia-votes-for-change/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Round Table—Free Georgia]] coalition led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia secured victory in this election and formed a new government. On 9 April 1991, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the [[Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia|Supreme Council]] of Georgia 
{{ill|Act of Restoration of State Independence of Georgia|lt=declared independence|ka|საქართველოს სახელმწიფოებრივი დამოუკიდებლობის აღდგენის აქტი}} after a [[Georgian independence referendum, 1991|referendum]] held on 31 March.<ref name="GovtofGeorgia">{{cite web |url=http://gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=193 |title=Government of Georgia:About Georgia |publisher=gov.ge |access-date=9 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821030240/http://gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=193 |archive-date=21 August 2016 }}</ref> Georgia was the first non-[[Baltic states|Baltic]] republic of the Soviet Union to officially declare independence,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=alTeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA333|title=New Tribalisms: The Resurgence of Race and Ethnicity|first=Michael W.|last=Hughey|date=29 March 2016|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-349-26403-2 |access-date=28 August 2023|via=Google Books}}</ref> with Romania becoming the first country to recognize Georgia in August 1991.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4LiAAAAMAAJ&q=%22was+Romania%22|title=Coming Together Or Falling Apart?: Regionalism in the Former Soviet Union|first1=S. Neil|last1=MacFarlane|first2=Queen's University (Kingston, Ont ) Centre for International|last2=Relations|date=28 August 1997|publisher=Centre for International Relations, Queen's University|isbn=978-0-88911-745-7 |access-date=28 August 2023|via=Google Books}}</ref> On 26 May, Gamsakhurdia was elected president in the [[1991 Georgian presidential election|first presidential election]] with 86.5% of the vote on a turnout of over 83%.<ref>[[Dieter Nohlen]], Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p. 401 {{ISBN|0-19-924958-X}}</ref>

Gamsakhurdia was soon deposed in a [[1991–92 Georgian coup d'état|bloody ''coup d'état'']], from 22 December 1991 to 6 January 1992. The coup was instigated by part of the [[National Guard of Georgia|National Guard]] and a paramilitary organization called "[[Mkhedrioni]]" ("horsemen"). The country then became embroiled in a bitter [[Georgian civil war of 1991–1993|civil war]], which lasted until December 1993. Simmering disputes within two regions of Georgia, [[Abkhazia]] and [[South Ossetia]], between local separatists and the majority Georgian populations, erupted into widespread inter-ethnic violence and wars.<ref name="princeton">{{cite web |title=Georgia: Abkhazia and South Ossetia |url=https://pesd.princeton.edu/?q=node/274 |website=www.pesd.princeton.edu |publisher=Encyclopedia Princetoniensis |access-date=16 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804112845/https://pesd.princeton.edu/?q=node%2F274 |archive-date=4 August 2018 }}</ref> Supported by Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia achieved ''de facto'' independence from Georgia, with Georgia retaining control only in small areas of the disputed territories.<ref name="princeton" /> [[Eduard Shevardnadze]] (Soviet [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] from 1985 to 1991) was named as the head of Georgia's new government in March 1992<ref>{{cite web|title=Shevardnadze Named Head of New Government|url=https://greensboro.com/shevardnadze-named-head-of-new-government/article_d02d70f0-9c07-52b2-83c2-3625238a52d7.html|date=10 March 1992|publisher=[[News & Record]]|access-date=19 September 2024|archive-date=27 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127150337/https://greensboro.com/shevardnadze-named-head-of-new-government/article_d02d70f0-9c07-52b2-83c2-3625238a52d7.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and was elected as head of state in [[1992 Georgian general election|that year's elections]], later as president in [[1995 Georgian presidential election|1995]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=7 July 2014|title=Obituary: Eduard Shevardnadze|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26327394|access-date=2021-07-06|archive-date=15 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815001940/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26327394|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)]], roughly 230,000 to 250,000 Georgians<ref name="hrwreport">{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/Georgia2.htm |title=Georgia/Abchasia: Violations of the laws of war and Russia's role in the conflict |date=March 1995 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=4 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010220133323/http://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/Georgia2.htm |archive-date=20 February 2001 |url-status=live }}</ref> were expelled from Abkhazia by Abkhaz separatists and North Caucasian militants (including Chechens). Around 23,000 Georgians fled South Ossetia.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 1996|title=Russia – The Ingush–Ossetian conflict in the Prigorodnyi region|url=http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Russia.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513003516/http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Russia.htm|archive-date=13 May 2007|access-date=18 July 2007|publisher=Human Rights Watch/Helsinki}}</ref>

In 1994, Georgia was facing an economic crisis, with severe shortages of basics such as bread, water, electricity and heat.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bread, water, fuel shortages in Georgia|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/11/22/Bread-water-fuel-shortages-in-Georgia/5860785480400/|date=22 November 1994|publisher=[[United Press International]]}}</ref>

=== Rose revolution and UNM government===
{{Main|Rose Revolution}}

[[File:Rose Revolution - City Council.jpg|thumb|upright|Protesters gathering at the [[Tbilisi Assembly Building]] during the [[Rose Revolution]] of 2003]]
In 2003, Shevardnadze (who won re-election in 2000) was deposed by the [[Rose Revolution]], after Georgian opposition and international monitors asserted that the 2 November [[2003 Georgian parliamentary election|2003 parliamentary elections]] were marred by fraud.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112204a.shtml |title=EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight – Georgia's Rose Revolution: Momentum and Consolidation |publisher=Eurasianet.org |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-date=5 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805074544/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112204a.shtml}}</ref> The revolution was led by [[Mikheil Saakashvili]], [[Zurab Zhvania]] and [[Nino Burjanadze]], former members and leaders of Shevardnadze's ruling party. Mikheil Saakashvili was elected as President of Georgia in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tabula.ge/ge/elections-2016/history |title=არჩევნების ისტორია|work=ტაბულა |publisher=Tabula|date=17 August 2016|access-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013905/http://www.tabula.ge/ge/elections-2016/history|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|language=ka}}</ref>

Following the Rose Revolution, a series of reforms were launched to strengthen the country's military and economic capabilities, as well as to reorient its foreign policy westwards. According to the US [[Department of State]], Georgia moved "from a near-[[failed state]] in 2003 to a relatively well-functioning market economy in 2014...[and] Through dramatic police and institutional reforms, the government has eradicated low-level corruption".<ref>[[United States Department of State]], [https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/229020.pdf ''Georgia: Executive Summary''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218073119/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/229020.pdf |date=18 February 2020 }}, Retrieved: 5 May 2016</ref> The new government's efforts to reassert Georgian authority in the southwestern autonomous republic of [[Adjara]] led to a major [[Ajaria Crisis|crisis]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia moves to rein in Ajaria |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3685117.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=5 May 2004}}</ref>

The country's newly pro-Western stance, along with accusations of Georgian involvement in the [[Second Chechen War]],<ref>{{Cite news | last= Gorshkov | first= Nikolai | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2269057.stm | title= Duma prepares for Georgia strike | work= BBC News | date= 19 September 2002 | access-date= 24 July 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090929222413/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2269057.stm | archive-date= 29 September 2009 | url-status=live}}</ref> resulted in a severe deterioration of [[Georgia-Russia relations|relations with Russia]], fuelled also by Russia's open assistance and support to the two secessionist areas. Despite these increasingly difficult relations, in May 2005 Georgia and Russia reached a bilateral agreement<ref>{{cite web |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=10007 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080813052136/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=10007 |url-status=live|archive-date=13 August 2008 |title=Russia, Georgia strike deal on bases |publisher=Civil Georgia, Tbilisi |date=30 May 2005 | access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref> by which Russian military bases (dating back to the Soviet era) in [[Batumi]] and [[Akhalkalaki]] were withdrawn. Russia withdrew all personnel and equipment from these sites by December 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=16321|title=Russia Hands Over Batumi Military Base to Georgia|publisher=Civil Georgia, Tbilisi|date=13 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514043306/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=16321|archive-date=14 May 2011|url-status=live | access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref> while failing to withdraw from the [[Gudauta]] base in Abkhazia, which it was required to vacate after the adoption of the [[Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty]] during the [[1999 Istanbul summit]].<ref>[http://www.leader.viitorul.org/print.php?l=ro&idc=48&id=271 Russia's retention of Gudauta base – An unfulfilled CFE treaty commitment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205180219/http://www.leader.viitorul.org/print.php?l=ro&idc=48&id=271 |date=5 February 2017 }} Socor, Vladirmir. The Jamestown Foundation. 22 May 2006</ref>

=== Russo-Georgian War ===
{{Main|Russo-Georgian War}}

{{See also|International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia}}
[[File:South Ossetia war russian tank.jpg|thumb|A Russian tank during its invasion of Georgia.]]
Relations between Georgia and separatists in [[Abkhazia]] and [[South Ossetia]] have been tense since the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991. Relations between Russia and Georgia [[2006 deportation of Georgians from Russia|severely deteriorated]] into the April 2008 [[2008 Russo-Georgian diplomatic crisis|Russo-Georgian diplomatic crisis]].<ref name="shelling">{{cite web|last=Whitmore|first=Brian|date=12 September 2008|title=Is The Clock Ticking For Saakashvili?'|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/Is_The_Clock_Ticking_For_Saakashvili/1199512.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903102314/http://www.rferl.org/content/Is_The_Clock_Ticking_For_Saakashvili/1199512.html|archive-date=3 September 2014|access-date=3 September 2014|website=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]}}</ref><ref name="tall_order">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7364544.stm |title=Russia criticised over Abkhazia |work=BBC News |date=24 April 2008 |access-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815002113/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7364544.stm |archive-date=15 August 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Russo-Georgian War]] of 2008 resulted in parts of Abkhazia and South Ossetia falling under the control of Russian-backed separatists, with Russian military bases being established in [[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|those regions]].

A bomb explosion on 1 August 2008 targeted a car transporting Georgian peacekeepers. South Ossetians were responsible for instigating this incident, which marked the opening of hostilities and injured five Georgian servicemen, then several South Ossetian militiamen were killed by snipers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/af25400a-739d-11dd-8a66-0000779fd18c|title=Countdown in the Caucasus: Seven days that brought Russia and Georgia to war|newspaper=[[Financial Times]]|date=26 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920023223/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af25400a-739d-11dd-8a66-0000779fd18c%2Cdwp_uuid%3Df2b40164-cfea-11dc-9309-0000779fd2ac.html|archive-date=20 September 2008}}</ref><ref name="feud">{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB121884450978145997 |title=Smoldering Feud, Then War |author1=Marc Champion |author2=Andrew Osborn |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=16 August 2008 |archive-date=18 February 2021 |access-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218153642/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121884450978145997 |url-status=live }}</ref> South Ossetian separatists began shelling Georgian villages on 1 August. These artillery bombardments caused Georgian servicemen to return fire periodically.<ref name="shelling" /><ref name="feud" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/19/georgia-russia-eu-media-inquiry|title=Georgia calls on EU for independent inquiry into war|author=Luke Harding|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 November 2008|access-date=4 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913101015/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/19/georgia-russia-eu-media-inquiry|archive-date=13 September 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Allison">{{cite journal|author=Roy Allison|url=http://commonweb.unifr.ch/artsdean/pub/gestens/f/as/files/4760/39349_201918.pdf|title=Russia resurgent? Moscow's campaign to 'coerce Georgia to peace'|journal=[[International Affairs (journal)|International Affairs]]|volume=84|issue=6|year=2008|pages=1145–1171|doi=10.1111/j.1468-2346.2008.00762.x|access-date=19 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423221417/http://commonweb.unifr.ch/artsdean/pub/gestens/f/as/files/4760/39349_201918.pdf|archive-date=23 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0836-e.htm |title=The Conflict Between Russia and Georgia |author=Jean-Rodrigue Paré |publisher=Parliament of Canada |date=13 February 2009 |access-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102030749/http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0836-e.htm |archive-date=2 January 2016 }}</ref>

On 7 August 2008, the Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili announced a unilateral [[ceasefire]] and called for peace talks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18931 |title=Saakashvili Appeals for Peace in Televised Address |publisher=Civil.Ge |date=7 August 2008 | access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019155639/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18931 |archive-date=19 October 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> More attacks on Georgian villages (located in the South Ossetian conflict zone) were soon matched with gunfire from Georgian troops, 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.<ref name="Jamestown Goals">{{cite web |url=http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Bswords%5D=8fd5893941d69d0be3f378576261ae3e&tx_ttnews%5Ball_the_words%5D=Georgia%20Moscow%20proxy&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33872&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=56f9d06976 |title=The Goals Behind Moscow's Proxy Offensive in South Ossetia |publisher=[[The Jamestown Foundation]] |date=8 August 2008 |access-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026162658/http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Bswords%5D=8fd5893941d69d0be3f378576261ae3e&tx_ttnews%5Ball_the_words%5D=Georgia%20Moscow%20proxy&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33872&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=56f9d06976 |archive-date=26 October 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/08/09/georgian-conflict-puts-us-in-middle/|title=Georgian conflict puts U.S. in middle|website=Chicago Tribune|date=9 August 2008|access-date=3 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016124315/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-08-09/news/0808080649_1_south-ossetia-russian-peacekeeping-troops-russian-president-dmitry-medvedev/2|archive-date=16 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news |author=Peter Finn |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081600502_pf.html |title=A Two-Sided Descent into Full-Scale War |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=17 August 2008 |access-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106085255/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081600502_pf.html |archive-date=6 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Russian military expert [[Pavel Felgenhauer]], the Ossetian provocation was aimed at triggering Georgian retaliation, which was needed as a [[pretext]] for a Russian military invasion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33888 |title=The Russian-Georgian War was Preplanned in Moscow |date=14 August 2008 |author=Pavel Felgenhauer |work=The Jamestown Foundation |access-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820185319/http://www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33888 |archive-date=20 August 2014 }}</ref> According to Georgian intelligence and several Russian media reports, parts of the regular (non-peacekeeping) Russian Army had already moved to South Ossetian territory through the [[Roki Tunnel]] before the Georgian military action.<ref name="NYTFreshev">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/world/europe/16georgia.html | work=The New York Times | first=C.J. | last=Chivers | title=Georgia Offers Fresh Evidence on War's Start | date=15 September 2008 | access-date=28 August 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616163055/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/world/europe/16georgia.html | archive-date=16 June 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsru.com/russia/11sep2008/voshli.html |script-title=ru:СМИ: российские войска вошли в Южную Осетию еще до начала боевых действий |publisher=NEWSru.com |date=11 September 2008 |language=ru  |access-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102030749/http://www.newsru.com/russia/11sep2008/voshli.html |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Russia accused Georgia of "aggression against South Ossetia" and began a large land, air and sea invasion of Georgia under the pretext of a "[[peace enforcement]]" operation on 8 August 2008.<ref name="roudik">{{cite web|publisher=Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/russian-georgia-war.php |title=Russian Federation: Legal Aspects of War in Georgia | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716042951/http://www.loc.gov/law/help/russian-georgia-war.php |archive-date=16 July 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Allison" /> [[Military of Abkhazia|Abkhaz forces]] opened a second front on 9 August with the [[Battle of the Kodori Valley]], an attack on the Kodori Gorge, held by Georgia.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-georgia-abkhazia-kodori-idUSL932653720080809 |title=Abkhaz separatists strike disputed Georgia gorge |work=Reuters |date=9 August 2008 |access-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924134849/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/09/us-georgia-abkhazia-kodori-idUSL932653720080809 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Tskhinvali was seized by the Russian military by 10 August.<ref name="radar">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/11/georgia.russia11|title=I got my children out minutes before the bombs fell|work=The Guardian|date=11 August 2008|first=Luke|last=Harding|access-date=24 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305004656/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/11/georgia.russia11|archive-date=5 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Russian forces occupied Georgian cities beyond the disputed territories.<ref name="new_front_deeper">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Russia opens new front, drives deeper into Georgia |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hV2N6fVKS5slf10A13Dj_uIdaZ4QD92GE8780 |date=11 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080814211308/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hV2N6fVKS5slf10A13Dj_uIdaZ4QD92GE8780 |archive-date=14 August 2008}}</ref>

During the conflict, there was a campaign of [[Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in South Ossetia|ethnic cleansing against Georgians in South Ossetia]], including destruction of Georgian settlements after the war had ended.<ref name="Fact-finding">{{cite web|url=http://www.ceiig.ch/pdf/IIFFMCG_Volume_I.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007030130/http://www.ceiig.ch/pdf/IIFFMCG_Volume_I.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2009|title=Report. Volume I|date=September 2009|publisher=Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia |page=27}}</ref><ref name="Damage">{{cite news |title=Amnesty International Satellite Images Reveal Damage to South Ossetian Villages After... |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/10/09/idUS200979+09-Oct-2008+PRN20081009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222225015/https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/10/09/idUS200979%2B09-Oct-2008%2BPRN20081009 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |work=Reuters |date=9 October 2008 }}</ref> The war displaced 192,000 people, though many were able to return to their homes after the war. One year later, around 30,000 ethnic Georgians remained displaced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4922c0b22.pdf |title=Civilians in the line of fire |publisher=Amnesty International |date=November 2008 |access-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222042133/http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4922c0b22.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia Marks Anniversary of War |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8188904.stm |date=7 August 2009 |work=BBC News |access-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808040149/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8188904.stm |archive-date=8 August 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> In an interview published in ''[[Kommersant]]'', South Ossetian leader [[Eduard Kokoity]] said he would not allow Georgians to return.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Эдуард Кокойты: мы там практически выровняли все |url=http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1011783 |date=15 August 2008 |publisher=Kommersant |language=ru |access-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916181813/http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1011783 |archive-date=16 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Rights Groups Say South Ossetian Militias Burning Georgian Villages |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/Ossetian_Militias_Burn_Georgian_Villages/1292746.html |date=30 September 2008 |publisher=RFE/RL |access-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903102226/http://www.rferl.org/content/Ossetian_Militias_Burn_Georgian_Villages/1292746.html |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[President of France]], [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], negotiated a ceasefire agreement on 12 August 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19069 |title=Russia Endorses Six-Point Plan |publisher=Civil.Ge |date=12 August 2008 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2008 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080812233838/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19069 |url-status=live }}</ref> Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate republics on 26 August.<ref name="kremlin">{{cite web|url=http://kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/26/1543_type82912_205752.shtml|title=Statement by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev|publisher=The Kremlin|date=26 August 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080902001442/http://www.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/26/1543_type82912_205752.shtml|archive-date=2 September 2008}}</ref> The Georgian government severed diplomatic relations with Russia.<ref name="break">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7588428.stm |title=Georgia breaks ties with Russia |work=BBC News |date=29 August 2008 |access-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006073511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7588428.stm |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://civil.ge/archives/117657 |title=Russia Completes 'Most of Withdrawal' – EU Monitors |publisher=Civil Georgia |date=8 October 2008 |access-date=2023-02-22 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709172303/https://civil.ge/archives/117657 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://civil.ge/archives/117667 |title=Moscow Says EU Monitors Fully Control 'Buffer Zones' |publisher=Civil Georgia |date=9 October 2008 |access-date=2023-02-22 |archive-date=11 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811063649/https://civil.ge/archives/117667 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since the war, Georgia has maintained that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are [[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|occupied Georgian territories]].<ref name="parliament.ge">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=98&info_id=20047 |title=Resolution of the Parliament of Georgia on the Occupation of the Georgian Territories by the Russian Federation |date=29 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903224516/http://www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=98&info_id=20047 |archive-date=3 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330 |title=Abkhazia, S.Ossetia Formally Declared Occupied Territory |publisher=Civil.Ge |date=28 August 2008 | access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903230132/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330 |archive-date=3 September 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Georgian Dream government (2012–present) ===
[[File:Solvita Āboltiņa tiekas ar Gruzijas premjerministru (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bidzina Ivanishvili]], founder and honorary chairman of [[Georgian Dream]].]]
In preparation for the [[2012 Georgian parliamentary election|2012 parliamentary elections]], Georgia implemented constitutional reforms to switch to a [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]], moving executive powers from the President to the Prime Minister. The transition was set to start with the 2012 parliamentary elections and to be completed with the [[2013 Georgian presidential election|2013 presidential elections]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia's Constitutional Changes |url=https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/caucasus/georgia/georgia-s-constitutional-changes |work=International Crisis Group |date=1 March 2012 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229171322/https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/caucasus/georgia/georgia-s-constitutional-changes |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[2012 Georgian parliamentary election]] marked the defeat of the [[United National Movement]] and the victory of the [[Georgian Dream]] party—the first peaceful electoral transfer of power in Georgia.<ref>{{Citation|title=Saakashvili Concedes Defeat in Parliamentary Election|newspaper=Civil.ge|date=2 October 2012|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25299|access-date=29 December 2021|archive-date=29 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229182211/https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25299|url-status=live}}</ref> The first year marked the contentious "cohabitation" period between the new Georgian Dream government and President Saakashvili, who retained his post until the [[2013 Georgian presidential election|presidential election in October 2013]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgian tycoon Ivanishvili confirmed as prime minister |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-georgia-parliament-idUSBRE89O0Z820121025 |work=Reuters |date=25 October 2012|access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia: Conflict Rather than Cohabitation |url=https://eurasianet.org/georgia-conflict-rather-than-cohabitation |work=Eurasianet |date=8 February 2013|access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia's Historic Transition Faces Crucial Tests In 2013 |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/georgias-historic-transition-faces-crucial-tests-in-2013/24799963.html |work=RFE/RL |date=16 December 2012 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229171313/https://www.rferl.org/a/georgias-historic-transition-faces-crucial-tests-in-2013/24799963.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Giorgi Margvelashvili]], nominated by Georgian Dream, won the election and succeeded Saakashvili, further solidifying the power of Georgian Dream.<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia PM ally Giorgi Margvelashvili 'wins presidency' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24696261 |work=BBC News |date=27 October 2013 |archive-date=26 October 2022 |access-date=15 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026225539/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24696261 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bidzina Ivanishvili]], a businessman who founded the Georgian Dream, served as its first Prime Minister before resigning in 2013. However, he continued to be the most influential person within the party, despite not holding any position until 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=Irakli Garibashvili Named as Georgia's Next Prime Minister |url=https://jamestown.org/program/irakli-garibashvili-named-as-georgias-next-prime-minister/ |work=Jamestown Foundation |date=4 November 2013 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229171313/https://jamestown.org/program/irakli-garibashvili-named-as-georgias-next-prime-minister/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Did Georgia's 'Informal Leader' Pressure Prime Minister To Resign? |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/caucasus-report-georgia-garibashvili-resigns/27447558.html |work=RFE/RL |date=24 December 2015 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229171312/https://www.rferl.org/a/caucasus-report-georgia-garibashvili-resigns/27447558.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As for Saakashvili, he left Georgia shortly after the 2013 election and was convicted in 2018 in absentia on corruption charges and abuse of power, which he denied. Saakashvili continued to be the chairman of the United National Movement party from abroad, which now became the main opposition party<ref>{{cite news |title=Mikheil Saakashvili: Georgian ex-president arrested returning from exile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58767420 |work=BBC News |date=1 October 2021 |archive-date=15 December 2021 |access-date=15 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215195620/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58767420 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Georgian Dream won the [[2016 Georgian parliamentary election|2016 parliamentary elections]], achieving a constitutional [[supermajority]] of 115 out of 150 seats.<ref>{{cite news |title=Constitutional Amendments Initiated |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=30072 |work=Civil.ge |date=3 May 2017 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229171312/https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=30072 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Georgian government offers concessions to end crisis |url=https://eurasianet.org/georgian-government-offers-concessions-to-end-crisis |work=Eurasianet |date=24 June 2019 |access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Transparency International urges dialogue with civil society during political crisis in Georgia |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/press/georgia-political-crisis-dialogue-with-civil-society |work=Transparency International |date=30 November 2019 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229171313/https://www.transparency.org/en/press/georgia-political-crisis-dialogue-with-civil-society |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[2018 Georgian presidential election|2018 presidential election]], the Georgian Dream party backed independent [[Salome Zourabichvili|Salome Zurabishvili]], who won in the second round, becoming the first woman in Georgia to hold the office in full capacity.<ref>Speaker [[Nino Burjanadze]] held the office as female interim President twice, in 2003 and 2007.</ref> This was the last direct election of a Georgian president, as additional constitutional reforms removed the popular vote.<ref name="Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili">{{cite news |title=Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili as first woman president |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46376344 |work=BBC News |date=29 November 2018 |archive-date=26 October 2022 |access-date=15 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026225543/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46376344 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2019, [[2019 protests in Georgia (country)|protests]] erupted over the visit of Russian MP [[Sergei Gavrilov (politician)|Sergei Gavrilov]] and his participation in the [[Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy]]. The protesters demanded electoral reform to change the [[Mixed-member majoritarian representation|mixed proportional-majoritarian]] voting system which they alleged greatly benefited the ruling party in the 2016 election. The ruling party conceded on some demands and condemned Gavrilov's visit. After international mediation to overcome the deep political crisis in the run-up to the [[2020 Georgian parliamentary election|2020 parliamentary elections]], an amended electoral system was adopted, specifically for those elections.<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgian Dream, Opposition Reach Consensus over Electoral Reform |url=https://civil.ge/archives/341385 |work=Civil.ge |date=8 March 2020 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220002113/https://civil.ge/archives/341385 |url-status=live }}</ref> As result of the lowered threshold, nine parties were elected to parliament. Georgian Dream secured 48 percent of the votes, nearly the same as four years earlier, which translated into 90 out of 150 seats due to the more proportional electoral system with a highly reduced number of [[Winner-take-all system|majoritarian districts]]. However, the opposition made accusations of fraud, triggering another round of [[2020–2021 Georgian political crisis|political crisis]], lasting months. The opposition and protesting citizens demanded a new vote.<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia protests: Tbilisi police fire water cannon at demonstrators |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54868053 |work=BBC News |date=8 November 2020 |archive-date=15 December 2021 |access-date=15 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215193329/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54868053 |url-status=live }}</ref> The political crisis was temporarily resolved by an EU brokered agreement in April 2021,<ref>{{cite news |title=New EU Proposal: Amnesty for Rurua, Melia, 2022 Snap Polls if GD Gets Less than 43% in Locals |url=https://civil.ge/archives/413785 |work=Civil.ge |date=18 April 2021 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=26 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226180603/https://civil.ge/archives/413785 |url-status=live }}</ref> from which both the ruling Georgian Dream and the opposition United National Movement withdrew a few months later.<ref>{{cite news |title=President Michel to Start Consultations after GD's EU-Brokered Deal Withdrawal |url=https://civil.ge/archives/434558 |work=Civil.ge |date=29 July 2021 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026082704/https://civil.ge/archives/434558 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the [[Georgia and the Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022]], Georgia provided diplomatic and humanitarian support for Ukraine but did not join other countries in imposing sanctions on Russia. Since the beginning of the war, Georgia has topped the list of countries to which [[Russian emigration during the Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian exiles]] moved. Russians, just like many foreigners, were allowed to stay in Georgia for one year without a visa, though many Georgians began to view the presence of more Russian citizens in Georgia as a security risk.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shota Kincha |date=22 May 2022 |title=Russian exiles get a chilly reception in Georgia – VoxEurop |language=en-US |work=Voxeurope |url=https://voxeurop.eu/en/russian-exiles-get-a-chilly-reception-in-georgia/ |access-date=2022-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=20 May 2023 |title=90 დღე 366-ის წინააღმდეგ - საქართველო-რუსეთის უვიზო მიმოსვლის მოკლე ისტორია|language=en-US |work=Radio Freedom|url=https://www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/საქართველო-რუსეთის-უვიზო-მიმოსვლის-მოკლე-ისტორია/32419480.html}}</ref> Shortly after the outbreak of the war, Georgia applied for membership of the EU at the same time as Ukraine and Moldova. While the latter two received the candidate status a few months later, Georgia was given conditions to receive the candidate status, which predominantly focused on judicial reforms, rule of law, de-oligarchization and addressing the highly polarized political and media climate.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-17 |title=European Commission's Memo Detailing Recommendations for Georgia |url=https://civil.ge/archives/496656 |access-date=2025-04-08 |work=Civil Georgia |language=en |archive-date=7 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707183921/https://civil.ge/archives/496656 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:2024_Georgian_Protests,_May_2_a.jpg|thumb|Hundreds of protesters [[Traffic obstruction|obstructing traffic]] at [[Heroes Square]]]]

In the following months, the relations with the [[European Union]] worsened, and the Georgian Dream party turned from the pro-European social democratic one into the Eurosceptic and socially conservative party. In March 2023 Georgian Dream attempted to adopt the [[Foreign funding of NGOs#Georgia|Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence]], which requires [[Non-governmental organization|Non-Governmental Organizations]] (NGOs) to register as "agents of foreign influence" if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=Law on "Transparency of Foreign Funding" Passes 76-13 in the First Reading |url=https://civil.ge/archives/529567 |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Civil Georgia |language=en-US |archive-date=8 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308124013/https://civil.ge/archives/529567 |url-status=live }}</ref> The discussions of the bill were determined amidst the protests and pressure from the [[United States Department of State|US State Department]], [[United Nations]] and European Union.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ritchie |first=Rhea Mogul, Sophie Tanno, Niamh Kennedy, Hannah |date=2023-03-09 |title=Georgia withdraws 'foreign influence' bill but opposition vows more protests |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/europe/georgia-bill-protests-withdrawn-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=9 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309090219/https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/europe/georgia-bill-protests-withdrawn-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A similar bill was introduced in April 2024 and adopted the next month.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ruling party to resubmit bill on transparency of foreign influence to Parliament {{!}} AGENDA.GE |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2024/38524 |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=agenda.ge |language=en}}</ref>

In December 2023, despite not having fulfilled most conditions, Georgia was granted EU-candidate status. Instead, these criteria and additional ones, such as free and fair 2024 parliamentary elections, were made conditional for Georgia to move ahead to the actual accession talks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-08 |title=EC Spells Out Nine Steps for Georgia to Start Accession Negotiations |url=https://civil.ge/archives/568417 |access-date=2025-04-08 |work=Civil Georgia |language=en |archive-date=17 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817002155/https://civil.ge/archives/568417 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The alleged irregularities and fraud in the 26 October [[2024 Georgian parliamentary election]]s led to a [[Georgian political crisis (2024–present)|political crisis]] and [[2024 Georgian post-election protests|protests]]. The crisis was exacerbated after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the temporary suspension of the [[Accession of Georgia to the European Union|accession process of Georgia's EU membership]] until 2028, citing blackmail.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PM Kobakhidze: No EU accession negotiations until 2028, rejecting grants to avoid blackmail |url=https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/pm-kobakhidze-no-eu-accession-negotiations-until-2028-rejecting-grants-to-avoid-blackmail/ |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=1TV |language=en-US |archive-date=3 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203101528/https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/pm-kobakhidze-no-eu-accession-negotiations-until-2028-rejecting-grants-to-avoid-blackmail/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Another round of political crisis developed amidst the inauguration of the ruling party candidate [[Mikheil Kavelashvili]] as the new president by the parliamentary electoral college, which the previous president [[Salome Zourabichvili]], who went into opposition to the ruling party during the [[2020–2021 Georgian political crisis]], described as illegitimate and refused to recognize the transfer of power.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joint Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell and European Commission on Parliamentary elections |url=https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/joint-statement-by-high-representative-josep-borrell-and-european-commission-on-parliamentary-elections/ |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=1TV |language=en-US |archive-date=4 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204050004/https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/joint-statement-by-high-representative-josep-borrell-and-european-commission-on-parliamentary-elections/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Two Georgia opposition leaders arrested at anti-government protest |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/02/georgia-opposition-leaders-arrested-anti-government-protest |date=2025-02-02 |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Georgia (country)}}

[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map GEO present.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Köppen climate classification]] map of Georgia]]
Georgia is a mountainous country situated almost entirely in the [[South Caucasus]], while [[Eastern Georgia (country)|some slivers]] of the country are situated north of the [[Greater Caucasus#Watershed|Caucasus Watershed]] in the [[North Caucasus]].<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/100270/Caucasus 'Caucasus (region and mountains, Eurasia)'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427041609/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/100270/Caucasus |date=27 April 2010 }}. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', 2010: "Occupying roughly {{convert|170000|mi2|km2|abbr=on}}, it is divided among Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia and forms part of the traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bisected by the Caucasus Mountains; the area north of the Greater Caucasus range is called Ciscaucasia and the region to the south Transcaucasia. Inhabited from ancient times, it was under nominal Persian and Turkish suzerainty until conquered by Russia in the 18th–19th centuries."</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cesww.fas.harvard.edu/ces_definition.html|title=CESWW – Definition of Central Eurasia|publisher=Cesww.fas.harvard.edu|access-date=6 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805052739/http://cesww.fas.harvard.edu/ces_definition.html|archive-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> The country lies between latitudes [[41st parallel north|41°]] and [[44th parallel north|44° N]], and longitudes [[40th meridian east|40°]] and [[47th meridian east|47° E]], with an area of {{convert|67900|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}. The [[Likhi Range]] divides the country into eastern and western halves.<ref name="Cac">{{cite web|url=http://www.cac-biodiversity.org/geo/geo_geography.htm |title=Georgia:Geography |publisher=Cac-biodiversity.org |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511110424/http://www.cac-biodiversity.org/geo/geo_geography.htm |archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref> Historically, the western portion of Georgia was known as Colchis while the eastern plateau was called Iberia.<ref name="NAG">[[Nana Bolashvili]], Andreas Dittmann, Lorenz King, Vazha Neidze (eds.): '''''National Atlas of Georgia – Nationalatlas von Georgien''''', 138 pages, Steiner Verlag, 2018{{ISBN|978-3-515-12057-9}}</ref>

The [[Greater Caucasus]] Mountain Range forms the northern border of Georgia.<ref name="Cac" /> The main roads through the mountain range into Russian territory lead through the Roki Tunnel between [[Shida Kartli]] and North Ossetia and the [[Darial Gorge]] (in the Georgian region of [[Khevi]]). The southern portion of the country is bounded by the [[Lesser Caucasus]] Mountains.<ref name="Cac" /> The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range is much higher in elevation than the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, with the highest peaks rising more than {{convert|5000|m|ft|0}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]].

[[File:Kasbek from Tsminda Gergeti (10600419415).jpg|thumb|[[Mount Kazbek]] in northeastern Georgia]]

The highest mountain in Georgia is Mount [[Shkhara]] at {{convert|5203|m|ft|0}}, and the second highest is Mount [[Janga (mountain)|Janga]] at {{convert|5059|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level. Other prominent peaks include [[Mount Kazbek]] at {{convert|5047|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, [[Shota Rustaveli Peak]] {{convert|4960|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, [[Tetnuldi]] {{convert|4858|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, [[Ushba]] {{convert|4700|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, and [[Ailama]] {{convert|4547|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Cac" /> Out of the abovementioned peaks, only Kazbek is of [[volcanic]] origin. The region between [[Kazbek]] and Shkhara (a distance of about {{convert|200|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} along the Main Caucasus Range) is dominated by numerous glaciers.<ref name="NAG"/>

The term Lesser Caucasus Mountains is often used to describe the mountainous (highland) areas of southern Georgia that are connected to the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range by the Likhi Range.<ref name="Cac" /> The overall region can be characterized as being made up of various, interconnected mountain ranges (largely of volcanic origin) and plateaus that do not exceed {{convert|3400|m|ft|0}} in elevation. Prominent features of the area include the [[Javakheti Plateau]], lakes, including [[Tabatskuri Lake|Tabatskuri]] and [[Paravani Lake|Paravani]], as well as mineral water and hot springs. Two major [[List of rivers of Georgia (country)|rivers in Georgia]] are the [[Rioni River|Rioni]] and the [[Mtkvari River|Mtkvari]].<ref name="NAG"/>

=== Topography ===
[[File:Zemo Svaneti, June, 2018-10.jpg|thumb|Svaneti region of Georgia]]
[[File:სვანეთი,ქურულდის ტბები.jpg|thumb|right|Mountain lakes in the country's northwest]]
The landscape within the nation's boundaries is quite varied. Western Georgia's landscape ranges from low-land marsh-forests, swamps, and [[temperate rainforest]]s to eternal snows and glaciers, while the eastern part of the country even contains a small segment of [[semi-arid]] plains.<ref name="NAG"/>

Much of the natural habitat in the low-lying areas of western Georgia has disappeared during the past 100 years because of [[agricultural development]] and urbanization. A large majority of the forests that covered the Colchis plain are now virtually non-existent with the exception of the regions that are included in the national parks and reserves (e.g. [[Lake Paliastomi]] area). At present, the forest cover generally remains outside of the low-lying areas and is mainly located along the foothills and the mountains. Western Georgia's forests consist mainly of deciduous trees below {{convert|600|m|ft|0}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]] and contain species such as [[oak]], [[hornbeam]], [[Oriental Beech|beech]], [[elm]], [[ash tree|ash]], and [[Sweet Chestnut|chestnut]]. Evergreen species such as [[Buxus|box]] may also be found in many areas. About 1,000 of the 4,000 higher plants of Georgia are [[endemic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.endemic-species-caucasus.info/ |title=Endemic Species of the Caucasus |publisher=Endemic-species-caucasus.info |date=7 January 2009 |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412080946/http://www.endemic-species-caucasus.info/ |archive-date=12 April 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:2025-05-25 Vardzia 9.jpg|thumb|The cave city of [[Vardzia]], with the valley of the [[Kura (Caspian Sea)|Kura River]] below]]

The west-central slopes of the [[Meskheti Range]] in [[Ajaria]] as well as several locations in Samegrelo and Abkhazia are covered by [[temperate rain forests]]. Between {{convert|600|-|1000|m|ft|0}} above sea level, the deciduous forest becomes mixed with both broad-leaf and coniferous species making up the plant life. The zone is made up mainly of beech, [[Caucasian Spruce|spruce]], and [[Nordmann Fir|fir]] forests. From {{convert|1500|-|1800|m|ft|0}}, the forest becomes largely coniferous. The tree line generally ends at around {{convert|1800|m|ft|0}} and the alpine zone takes over, which in most areas, extends up to an elevation of {{convert|3000|m|ft|0}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]].<ref name="NAG"/>

The general landscape of eastern Georgia comprises numerous valleys and gorges that are separated by mountains. In contrast with western Georgia, nearly 85 per cent of the forests of the region are deciduous. Coniferous forests only dominate in the [[Borjomi Gorge]] and in the extreme western areas. Out of the deciduous species of trees, [[beech]], [[oak]], and [[hornbeam]] dominate. Other deciduous species include several varieties of [[maple]], [[aspen]], ash, and [[hazelnut]].<ref name="NAG"/>

At higher elevations above {{convert|1000|m|ft|0}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]] (particularly in the [[Tusheti]], [[Khevsureti]], and [[Khevi]] regions), [[Scots Pine|pine]] and [[birch]] forests dominate. In general, the forests in eastern Georgia occur between {{convert|500|-|2000|m|ft|0}} above sea level, with the alpine zone extending from 2,000–2,300 to 3,000–3,500 meters (6,562–7,546 to 9,843–11,483&nbsp;ft). The only remaining large, low-land forests remain in the [[Alazani]] Valley of Kakheti.<ref name="NAG"/>

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Georgia (country)}}

[[File:Waterfall in Mtirala National Park.JPG|thumb|right|Parts of Western Georgia have a subtropical climate, with frequent rain and plenty of green vegetation.]]
[[File:Chaukhi Mountain & Tina Lake, Juta Valley, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia.jpg|thumb|right|A small [[alpine lake]] in northeastern Georgia]]
The climate of Georgia is extremely diverse, considering the nation's small size. There are two main climatic zones, roughly corresponding to the eastern and western parts of the country. The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range plays an important role in moderating Georgia's climate and protects the nation from the penetration of colder air masses from the north. The Lesser Caucasus Mountains partially protect the region from the influence of dry and hot air masses from the south.<ref name="Georgia">{{cite news |last1=Howe |first1=G. Melvyn |last2=Lang |first2=David Marshall |title=Georgia |newspaper=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Georgia |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=17 December 2020 |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007223026/https://www.britannica.com/place/Georgia |url-status=live }}</ref>

Much of western Georgia lies within the northern periphery of the humid subtropical zone with annual precipitation ranging from {{convert|1000|–|2500|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}, reaching a maximum during the Autumn months. The climate of the region varies significantly with elevation and while much of the lowland areas of western Georgia are relatively warm throughout the year, the foothills and mountainous areas (including both the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains) experience cool, wet summers and snowy winters (snow cover often exceeds {{convert|2|m|disp=or}} in many regions).<ref name="Georgia" />

Eastern Georgia has a transitional climate from humid subtropical to continental. 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. The penetration of humid air masses from the Black Sea is often blocked by mountain ranges ([[Likhi Range|Likhi]] and [[Meskheti]]) that separate the eastern and western parts of the nation.<ref name="NAG"/> The wettest periods generally occur during spring and autumn, while winter and summer months tend to be the driest. Much of eastern Georgia experiences hot summers (especially in the low-lying areas) and relatively cold winters. As in the western parts of the nation, elevation plays an important role in eastern Georgia where climatic conditions above {{convert|1500|m|ft|0}} are considerably colder than in the low-lying areas.<ref name="NAG"/>

=== Biodiversity ===
{{See also|List of fauna of Georgia (country){{!}}List of fauna of Georgia|List of fish of the Black Sea}}
[[File:Female Georgian Shepherd - Khevi, Georgia (3).jpg|thumb|[[Georgian Shepherd]] Dog]]
[[File:Ჯიხვი ლაგოდეხის ნაკრძალში.jpg|thumb|[[East Caucasian tur]] on the cliffs of [[Lagodekhi Protected Areas]]]]
Because of its high landscape diversity and low latitude, Georgia is home to about 5,601 species of animals, including 648 species of [[vertebrate]]s (more than 1% of the species found worldwide) and many of these species are endemics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biodiversity-georgia.net/index.php?taxon=Chordata |title=Eucariota, Animalia, Chordata |publisher=Institute of Ecology |date=2015 |website=Georgian Biodiversity Database |access-date=7 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625014140/http://www.biodiversity-georgia.net/index.php?taxon=Chordata |archive-date=25 June 2016 }}</ref> A number of large [[carnivore]]s live in the forests, namely [[brown bear]]s, [[wolf|wolves]], [[lynx]]es and [[Panthera pardus tulliana|Caucasian leopards]]. The [[common pheasant]] (also known as the Colchian pheasant) is an endemic bird of Georgia which has been widely introduced throughout the rest of the world as a [[game bird]]. The number of [[invertebrate]] species is considered to be very high but data is distributed across a high number of publications. The spider checklist of Georgia, for example, includes 501 species.<ref name="Caucasus-spiders.info">{{cite web|url=http://caucasus-spiders.info/introduction/checklists/ |title=Caucasian Spiders " Checklists & Maps |publisher=Caucasus-spiders.info |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328225817/http://caucasus-spiders.info/introduction/checklists/ |archive-date=28 March 2009 }}</ref> The [[Rioni|Rioni River]] may contain a breeding population of the critically endangered [[bastard sturgeon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?364051/ship-sturgeon-georgia |title=Dramatic Double Sturgeon Discovery in Georgia |publisher=WWF |date=15 June 2020 |access-date=26 June 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629124703/https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?364051/ship-sturgeon-georgia |url-status=live }}</ref>

Slightly more than 6,500 species of [[Fungus|fungi]], including lichen-forming species, have been recorded from Georgia,<ref>Nakhutsrishvili, I.G. ["Flora of Spore Producing Plants of Georgia (Summary)"]. 888 pp., Tbilisi, Academy of Science of the Georgian SSR, 1986</ref><ref name="cybertruffle1">{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/robigalia/eng/index.htm |title=Cybertruffle's Robigalia – Observations of fungi and their associated organisms |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=27 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920032737/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/robigalia/eng/index.htm |archive-date=20 September 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> but this number is far from complete. The true total number of fungal species occurring in Georgia, including species not yet recorded, is likely to be far higher, given the generally accepted estimate that only about seven per cent of all fungi worldwide have so far been discovered.<ref>Kirk, P.M., Cannon, P.F., Minter, D.W. and Stalpers, J. "Dictionary of the Fungi". Edn 10. CABI, 2008</ref> Although the amount of available information is still very small, a first effort has been made to estimate the number of fungal species endemic to Georgia, and 2,595 species have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/gruzfung/eng/endelist.htm |title=Fungi of Georgia – potential endemics |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=27 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173031/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/gruzfung/eng/endelist.htm |archive-date=27 September 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> 1,729 species of plants have been recorded from Georgia in association with fungi.<ref name="cybertruffle1" /> According to the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]], there are 4,300 species of vascular plants in Georgia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iucn.org/content/georgia-%E2%80%93-haven-biodiversity|title=Georgia – a haven for biodiversity|date=7 December 2012|website=IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature|access-date=29 June 2019}}{{dead link|date=July 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Georgia is home to four ecoregions: [[Caucasus mixed forests]], [[Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests]], [[Eastern Anatolian montane steppe]], and [[Azerbaijan shrub desert and steppe]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> It had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 7.79/10, ranking it 31st globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref>
{{clear}}

== Government and politics ==
{{Main|Politics of Georgia (country)}}

{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 300
| align             = right
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Mikheil Kavelashvili - President of Georgia.jpg
| caption1          = [[Mikheil Kavelashvili]]<br /><small>[[President of Georgia|President]]</small>
| image2            = Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgian Prime Minister, at the European Commission.jpg
| caption2          = [[Irakli Kobakhidze]]<br /><small>[[Prime Minister of Georgia|Prime Minister]]</small>
}}

[[File:Orbeliani Palace.jpg|thumb|right|[[Orbeliani Palace]] is the official seat of the [[President of Georgia|Georgian President]], an institution that has seen diminished power since 2018.]]

Georgia is a [[Representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[parliamentary]] republic; the [[President of Georgia|President]] serves as the largely ceremonial head of state,<ref name="Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili"/> whereas the Prime Minister is head of government. Executive power is vested in the [[Cabinet of Georgia]], composed of ministers headed by the [[Prime Minister of Georgia|Prime Minister]] and appointed by the Parliament. As of 2025, the presidency is [[2024–2025 Georgian constitutional crisis|disputed]] between [[Salome Zourabichvili]], who claims to be the ''de jure'' head of state, and [[Mikheil Kavelashvili]], who was inaugurated by the ruling party following the widely disputed [[2024 Georgian presidential election]]. Since February 2024, the post of the Prime Minister has been occupied by [[Irakli Kobakhidze]], whose legitimacy is also disputed.

[[Legislature|Legislative]] authority is vested in the [[Parliament of Georgia]]. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, of whom 30 are elected by plurality to represent single-member districts, and 120 are chosen to represent parties by proportional representation. Members of parliament are elected for four-year terms.

According to [[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|International IDEA]]'s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, Georgia performs in the mid-range on overall democratic measures, with particular strength in absence of corruption.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Georgia {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/georgia |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=www.idea.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=www.idea.int |archive-date=8 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250908102653/https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global State of Democracy Indices {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=www.idea.int |archive-date=25 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825020600/https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |url-status=live }}</ref>

Different opinions exist regarding the degree of political freedom in Georgia. Saakashvili believed in 2008 that the country is "on the road to becoming a European democracy."<ref name="misha">{{cite news|title=Georgia Leader: Country on Right Track |publisher=Fox News |date=7 January 2008 |url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jan07/0,4670,GeorgiaPresidentialElection,00.html |access-date=17 October 2008 |first=Lynn |last=Berry  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080108095512/http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jan07/0%2C4670%2CGeorgiaPresidentialElection%2C00.html |archive-date=8 January 2008 |quote=In an interview with The Associated Press, Saakashvili acknowledged Georgia's path had not been smooth but said the election demonstrated that the former Soviet republic was on the road to becoming a European democracy.}}</ref> In {{As of|alt=their 2022 report|2023}} [[Freedom House]] lists Georgia as "partly free", recognizing a trajectory of democratic improvement surrounding the 2012–13 transfer of power but observed a process of democratic backslide in later years of the [[Georgian Dream]] rule.<ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report |publisher=[[Freedom House]] |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/georgia/freedom-world/2022 |access-date=5 February 2023 |quote=Georgia holds regular and competitive elections. Its democratic trajectory showed signs of improvement during the period surrounding a change in government in 2012–13, but recent years have featured backsliding. Oligarchic influence affects the country's political affairs, policy decisions, and media environment, and the rule of law is undermined by politicization. Civil liberties are inconsistently protected. |archive-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205015608/https://freedomhouse.org/country/georgia/freedom-world/2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2023 [[The Economist Democracy Index|Democracy Index]], the [[Economist Intelligence Unit]] classifies Georgia as a "hybrid regime", which denotes an incomplete [[democratic transition]] from [[authoritarianism]] to [[democracy]] characterized by elements of both systems.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Democracy Index 2021: the China challenge|url=https://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/eiu-democracy-index-2021.pdf?mkt_tok=NzUzLVJJUS00MzgAAAGDWhBlxfqM9cMZEewC0HoBG0xhm9PFkxb-_IqDsjlxRZgDssKgB0pHGt7yS48UFv94hU4ZW0C_jXaFfmK_5TbL23wtQarQv22nFbg8ZTnHQrrcPg|website=Economist Intelligence Unit|pages=44–47|language=en-GB|access-date=6 February 2023|archive-date=26 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326122737/https://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/eiu-democracy-index-2021.pdf?mkt_tok=NzUzLVJJUS00MzgAAAGDWhBlxfqM9cMZEewC0HoBG0xhm9PFkxb-_IqDsjlxRZgDssKgB0pHGt7yS48UFv94hU4ZW0C_jXaFfmK_5TbL23wtQarQv22nFbg8ZTnHQrrcPg|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2025, the annual [[V-Dem Democracy Indices|Democracy Index]] of the [[V-Dem Institute]] classified Georgia for the first time as an [[electoral autocracy]], noting the country showed one of the biggest drops on the list and its largest one-year decline. V-Dem notes Georgia is considered to be in a so-called "bell-turn" episode or "failed democratization", meaning its autocratization took place less than five years after a period of democratization. The report describes that post-Saakashvili Georgia went through a period of democratization with improvements in judicial independence, freedom of speech, and civil liberties. The reversal of this trend started in 2018, with gradual deteriorations till 2023 when rapid democratic erosion set in, resulting in a plummeting of the score in 2024.<ref name="vdem2025">{{cite web |title=Democracy Report 2025 - 25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped? |publisher=[[V-Dem Institute]] |url=https://v-dem.net/documents/54/v-dem_dr_2025_lowres_v1.pdf |pages=14, 16, 24, 26, 27 |access-date=2025-07-05 |date=2025 |archive-date=13 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250313112226/https://www.v-dem.net/documents/54/v-dem_dr_2025_lowres_v1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Georgia (country)}}

{{See also|Russian-occupied territories in Georgia}}
[[File:Georgia high detail map.png|thumb|Map of Georgia highlighting the disputed territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region (''South Ossetia''), both of which are outside the control of the central government of Georgia]]
Georgia is [[Administrative divisions of Georgia (country)|administratively divided]] into 9 regions, 1 capital region, and 2 autonomous republics. These in turn are subdivided into 67 [[List of municipalities in Georgia (country)|districts]] and 5 self-governing cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mreg.reestri.gov.ge/|title=Registry of Municipalities|publisher=National Agency of Public Registry|access-date=2022-10-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202020853/https://mreg.reestri.gov.ge/|archive-date=2 February 2017}}</ref>

Georgia contains two official autonomous regions, of which one has declared independence. Officially autonomous within Georgia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.government.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=221 |title=Government of Georgia – Abkhazia |publisher=Government.gov.ge |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717122413/http://www.government.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}</ref> the de facto independent region of Abkhazia declared independence in 1999.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3261059.stm | work=BBC News | title=Regions and territories: Abkhazia | date=8 February 2011 | access-date=30 January 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420194315/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3261059.stm | archive-date=20 April 2010 | url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, another territory not officially autonomous has also declared independence. South Ossetia is officially known by Georgia as the Tskhinvali region, as it views "South Ossetia" as implying political bonds with Russian [[North Ossetia]].<ref name="BBC South Ossetia">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3797729.stm | work=BBC News | title=Regions and territories: South Ossetia | date=8 February 2011 | access-date=30 January 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217055824/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3797729.stm | archive-date=17 February 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref> It was called [[South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast]] when Georgia was part of Soviet Union. Its autonomous status was revoked in 1990. De facto separate since Georgian independence, offers were made to give South Ossetia autonomy again, but in 2006 an unrecognized referendum in the area resulted in a vote for independence.<ref name="BBC South Ossetia" />

In both Abkhazia and South Ossetia large numbers of people had been given Russian passports, some through a process of forced [[passportization]] by Russian authorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.osce.org/home/73289 |title=Human Rights in the Occupied Territories of Georgia |date=19 October 2010 |publisher=[[Osce.org]] |access-date=30 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616083143/http://www.osce.org/home/73289 |archive-date=16 June 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|title=Russian Passportization|date=10 September 2008 |url=http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/russian-passportization/|access-date=30 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115192814/http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/russian-passportization/|archive-date=15 November 2012}}</ref> Georgia considers the regions as occupied by Russia.<ref name="parliament.ge" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Abkhazia, S. Ossetia Formally Declared Occupied Territory|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330| access-date=29 December 2021|work=Civil Georgia|date=28 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903230132/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330|archive-date=3 September 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The two self-declared republics gained [[International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia|limited international recognition]] after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Most countries consider the regions to be Georgian territory [[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|under Russian occupation]].<ref name="smr">{{cite web|url=http://www.smr.gov.ge/docs/doc216.pdf |title=The Law of Georgia on Occupied Territories (431-IIs) |date=23 October 2008 |publisher=[[State Ministry for Reintegration (Georgia)|State Ministry for Reintegration]] |access-date=1 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624083638/http://www.smr.gov.ge/docs/doc216.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2014 }}</ref>

{{Regions of Georgia}}
{{Table alignment}}
{| class="sortable wikitable col1left col2left defaultright" style="font-size:90%; width:600px;"
|-
! Region !! Centre !! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) !! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="2014 Census">{{cite web|url=http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf|title=2014 General Population Census Main Results General Information — National Statistics Office of Georgia|access-date=2022-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808154843/http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf|archive-date=8 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> !! Density
|-
| [[Abkhazia]] || [[Sukhumi]] || 8,660|| ''242,862<sup>est</sup>'' || 28.04
|-
| [[Adjara]] || [[Batumi]] || 2,880 || 333,953 || 115.95
|-
| [[Guria]] || [[Ozurgeti]] ||2,033 || 113,350 || 55.75
|-
| [[Imereti]] || [[Kutaisi]] || 6,475 || 533,906 || 82.45
|-
| [[Kakheti]] || [[Telavi]] || 11,311 || 318,583 || 28.16
|-
| [[Kvemo Kartli]] || [[Rustavi]] || 6,072 || 423,986 || 69.82
|-
| [[Mtskheta-Mtianeti]] || [[Mtskheta]] || 6,786 || 94,573 || 13.93
|-
| [[Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti]] || [[Ambrolauri]] || 4,990 || 32,089 || 6.43
|-
| [[Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti]] || [[Zugdidi]] || 7,440 || 330,761 || 44.45
|-
| [[Samtskhe-Javakheti]] || [[Akhaltsikhe]] || 6,413 || 160,504 || 25.02
|-
| [[Shida Kartli]] || [[Gori, Georgia|Gori]] || 5,729 || ''300,382<sup>est</sup>'' || 52.43
|-
| [[Tbilisi]] || [[Tbilisi]] || 720 || 1,108,717 || 1,539.88
|}

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Georgia (country)}}

[[File:Batumi International Conference, on 19 July 2021 05 (cropped).jpg|thumb|President of Georgia [[Salome Zourabichvili]], President of Moldova [[Maia Sandu]], President of Ukraine [[Volodymyr Zelensky]] and [[President of the European Council]] [[Charles Michel]] during the 2021 [[Batumi]] International Conference. In 2014, the EU signed [[European Union Association Agreement|Association Agreements]] with all three states.]]

The explicit western orientation of Georgia, deepening political ties with the US and European Union, notably through its EU and NATO membership aspirations, the US [[Georgia Train and Equip Program|Train and Equip]] military assistance programme, and the construction of the [[Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline]], increasingly strained Tbilisi's relations with Moscow in the early 2000s. Georgia's decision to boost its presence in the coalition forces in Iraq was an important initiative.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=8271 |title=U.S. Announces New Military Assistance Program for Georgia |publisher=Civil.Ge |date=5 November 2004 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=8 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208064104/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=8271 |url-status=live }}</ref> The European Union has identified Georgia as a prospective member,<ref name="EU perspective">[[European Parliament]], [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2014-0009 Resolution 2014/2717(RSP)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124035423/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2014-0009 |date=24 January 2016 }}, 17 July 2014: "...pursuant to Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – like any other European state – have a European perspective and may apply to become members of the Union…"</ref> and Georgia has sought membership.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/06/24/why-was-georgia-not-granted-eu-candidate-status |title=Why was Georgia not granted EU candidate status? |author=Jorge Liboreiro |work=Euronews |date=24 June 2022 |access-date=24 November 2022 |archive-date=29 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029064938/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/06/24/why-was-georgia-not-granted-eu-candidate-status |url-status=live }}</ref>

Georgia is currently working to become a full member of [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|NATO]]. In August 2004, the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia was submitted officially to NATO. On 29 October 2004, the [[North Atlantic Council]] of NATO approved the [[NATO#International Partnership Action Plans|Individual Partnership Action Plan]] (IPAP) of Georgia, and Georgia moved on to the second stage of Euro-Atlantic Integration. In 2005, the agreement on the appointment of [[Partnership for Peace]] (PfP) liaison officer between Georgia and NATO came into force, whereby a liaison officer for the South Caucasus was assigned to Georgia. On 2 March 2005, the agreement was signed on the provision of the host nation support to and transit of NATO forces and NATO personnel. On 6–9 March 2006, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?sec_id=89&lang_id=ENG |title=Georgia's way to NATO |publisher=Mfa.gov.ge |date=27 May 2010 |access-date=2 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827220629/http://www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?sec_id=89&lang_id=ENG |archive-date=27 August 2008 }}</ref> In 2009 the Georgia-NATO Interparliamentary Council was created within the [[NATO Parliamentary Assembly]] to hold twice yearly meetings to discuss all aspects of Georgia-NATO cooperation. In 2017, a poll by the National Democratic Institute, an American NGO, revealed that the majority of Georgians and politicians in Georgia support the push for NATO membership.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/NDI_November%202016%20poll_press%20release_ENG.pdf |title=NDI Poll: Economy Still Top Concern for Georgians; Support for NATO and EU Stable |publisher=National Democratic Institute |date=16 January 2017 |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227233237/https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/NDI_November%202016%20poll_press%20release_ENG.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2017 }}</ref>

In 2011, the [[North Atlantic Council]] designated Georgia as an "aspirant country".<ref>[http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_81943.htm?mode=pressrelease Press Release (2011) 145] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426201901/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_81943.htm?mode=pressrelease |date=26 April 2021 }}. NATO. 7 December 2011. Accessed 3 January 2011.</ref> Since 2014, Georgia–NATO relations are guided by the Substantial NATO–Georgia Package (SNGP), which includes the NATO–Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre and facilitation of multi-national and regional military drills.<ref>{{cite web |title=Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) |url=https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2016_06/20160614_1606-georgia-sngp-factsheet-en.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910182923/http://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2016_06/20160614_1606-georgia-sngp-factsheet-en.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-10 |url-status=live |publisher=NATO |access-date=10 February 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Georgians Protest Invasion Of Ukraine 2.jpg|thumb|right|Georgians demonstrating in solidarity with Ukraine shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion.]]

In September 2019, Russian Foreign Minister [[Sergey Lavrov]] said that "NATO approaching our borders is a threat to Russia."<ref>{{cite news |title=Lavrov: If Georgia Joins NATO, Relations Will Be Spoiled |url=http://georgiatoday.ge/news/17482/Lavrov%3A-If-Georgia-Joins-NATO%2C-Relations-Will-Be-Spoiled |work=Georgia Today |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=2 October 2019 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927125849/http://georgiatoday.ge/news/17482/Lavrov%3A-If-Georgia-Joins-NATO%2C-Relations-Will-Be-Spoiled  }}</ref> He was quoted as saying that if [[NATO]] accepts Georgian membership with the article on collective defence covering only Tbilisi-administered territory—i.e., excluding the Georgian territories Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both of which are currently Russian-supported [[List of states with limited recognition|unrecognized breakaway republics—]]"we will not start a war, but such conduct will undermine our relations with NATO and with countries who are eager to enter the alliance."<ref name=LavrovNATO2019>{{cite web |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2019/2582 |title=Russian FM Lavrov supports resumption of flights to Georgia as Georgians 'realised consequences' of June 20 |publisher=Agenda.ge |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=29 September 2019 |archive-date=30 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930041916/https://agenda.ge/en/news/2019/2582 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[George W. Bush]] became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush praises Georgian democracy |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531273.stm |work=BBC News |date=10 May 2005 |archive-date=19 December 2008 |access-date=4 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219051617/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531273.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The street leading to [[Tbilisi International Airport]] has since been dubbed George W. Bush Avenue.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Bush.html Bush Heads to Europe for G – 8 Summit], ''The New York Times''</ref> On 2 October 2006, Georgia and the European Union signed a joint statement on the agreed text of the Georgia–European Union Action Plan within the [[European Neighbourhood Policy]] (ENP). The Action Plan was formally approved at the EU–Georgia Cooperation Council session on 14 November 2006, in [[Brussels]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=13747 |title=EU, Georgia Sign ENP Action Plan |publisher=Civil.Ge |date=3 October 2006 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=14 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014105223/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=13747 |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2014, the EU and Georgia signed an [[Association Agreement]], which entered into force on 1 July 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/9740/EU/Georgia%20Association%20Agreement |title=EU/Georgia Association Agreement |publisher=EEAS |date=13 September 2016 |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228080904/https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/9740/EU/Georgia%20Association%20Agreement |archive-date=28 February 2017 }}</ref> On 13 December 2016, EU and Georgia reached the agreement on visa liberalization for Georgian citizens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/12/20-visa-liberalisation-georgia/ |title=Visas: Council confirms agreement on visa liberalisation for Georgia |publisher=European Council – Council of the European Union |date=20 December 2016 |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228075025/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/12/20-visa-liberalisation-georgia/ |archive-date=28 February 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dsms.consilium.europa.eu/952/Actions/Newsletter.aspx?messageid=10910&customerid=8798&password=enc_4343363430443232_enc |title=Visas: Council adopts regulation on visa liberalisation for Georgians |publisher=European Council – Council of the European Union |date=27 February 2017 |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227233648/http://dsms.consilium.europa.eu/952/Actions/Newsletter.aspx?messageid=10910&customerid=8798&password=enc_4343363430443232_enc |archive-date=27 February 2017 }}</ref>

Georgia applied for EU membership on 3 March 2022, soon after the beginning of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref name="ge-candidacy">{{cite news|url=https://civil.ge/archives/477258|title=Georgia's PM Signs Application to Join the EU|author=Civil.ge|publisher=Civil.ge|date=3 March 2022|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005194350/http://civil.ge/archives/477258|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2023, Georgia was granted [[EU Candidate]] status by the [[European Council]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil Georgia {{!}} BREAKING: Georgia Granted EU Candidate Status |url=https://civil.ge/archives/574502 |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=civil.ge |date=14 December 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214190733/https://civil.ge/archives/574502 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=European Council grants EU candidate status to Georgia – Council President |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2023/4908 |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Agenda.ge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bayer |first=Lili |date=14 December 2023 |title=Deal reached to open EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova – Europe live |language=en-GB |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/dec/14/eu-summit-viktor-orban-aid-ukraine-live-latest-updates |access-date=2023-12-14 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=14 December 2023 |title=EU to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova |language=en-GB |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67722252 |access-date=2023-12-14 |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214190733/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67722252 |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2024, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared the country's EU accession process would be paused until 2028, leading to protests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coote |first=Darryl |date=2024-11-29 |title=Police and protesters clash in Tbilisi after PM suspends Georgia's EU bid |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/11/29/georgia-protests-European-Union-suspended/4461732863207 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=United Press International |language=en}}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Main|Defense Forces of Georgia|Role of Georgia in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Conscription in Georgia}}

[[File:Didgori Meomari.jpg|thumbnail|right|Georgian-built [[STC Delta#Military and civilian production|Didgori Warrior]]]]
Georgia's military is organized into [[Georgian Land Forces|land]] and [[Georgian Air Force|air]] forces collectively known as the Georgian Defense Forces (GDF); naval forces were merged into the Coast Guard in 2009, which falls under the Internal Affairs Minister. More than 20% of the GDF consists of [[Conscription in Georgia|conscripts]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2024-05-15 |title=Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe |url=https://ebco-beoc.org/sites/ebco-beoc.org/files/2024-05-15-EBCO_Annual_Report_2023-24.pdf |website=European Bureau for Conscientious Objection |pages=79–81 |publication-place=Belgium}}</ref> The mission and functions of the GDF are based on the [[Constitution of Georgia (country)|Constitution of Georgia]], Georgia's Law on Defense and National Military Strategy, and international agreements to which Georgia is signatory.{{Citation needed|date=July 2016}} As of 2021, Georgia's military budget was 900[[Georgian lari|₾]] (${{To USD|900|GEO|round=yes}}) million, of which newly two-thirds is allocated for maintaining defence forces readiness and potency development.<ref>{{cite news |title=Budget |url=https://mod.gov.ge/uploads/public/%E1%83%91%E1%83%98%E1%83%A3%E1%83%AF%E1%83%94%E1%83%A2%E1%83%98/dazust.biujeti.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806090740/https://mod.gov.ge/uploads/public/%E1%83%91%E1%83%98%E1%83%A3%E1%83%AF%E1%83%94%E1%83%A2%E1%83%98/dazust.biujeti.pdf |archive-date=2021-08-06 |url-status=live |access-date=6 August 2021 |work=Ministry of Defence of Georgia }}</ref> After its independence from the Soviet Union, Georgia began to develop its own [[military industry]], namely through the state owned [[STC Delta]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Delta History|url=http://delta.gov.ge/en/history/|access-date=21 July 2016|work=STC Delta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705230154/http://delta.gov.ge/en/history/|archive-date=5 July 2016}}</ref> The country produces a range of indigenous [[STC Delta#Military and civilian production|military equipment]], including armored vehicles, artillery systems, aviation systems, personal protection equipment, and small arms.<ref>{{cite news|title=Delta Products|url=http://delta.gov.ge/en/product/|access-date=21 July 2016|work=STC Delta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715003423/http://delta.gov.ge/en/product/|archive-date=15 July 2016}}</ref>

Georgian military personnel have served in several international operations. During later periods of the [[Iraq War]], Georgia had up to 2,000 soldiers serving in the American-led [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|Multi-National Force]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia to double troops in Iraq |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6433289.stm |work=BBC News |date=9 March 2007 |archive-date=22 December 2016 |access-date=4 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222093803/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6433289.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Georgia also participated in the [[NATO]]-led [[International Security Assistance Force]] in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]]; with 1,560 troops in 2013, it was at that time the largest contributor among non-NATO countries<ref name="civil1">{{cite news|title=MoD Releases Details on Georgian Troops Wounded in May 13 Helmand Attack|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=26057|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016081741/http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=26057|url-status=live|archive-date=16 October 2013 | access-date=16 October 2013|newspaper=Civil Georgia|date=14 May 2013}}</ref> and in per capita terms.<ref>{{cite news|title=Georgia deploying 750 soldiers to Afghanistan|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=georgia-deploying-750-soldiers-to-afghanistan-2010-04-08|access-date=21 July 2016|newspaper=Hurriyet Daily News|date=4 August 2010|agency=Agence France-Presse|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506192621/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=georgia-deploying-750-soldiers-to-afghanistan-2010-04-08|archive-date=6 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/6809222/Why-Georgia-sends-troops-to-Afghanistan.html |title=Why Georgia sends troops to Afghanistan |author=Mikheil Saakashvili |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=14 December 2009 |access-date=21 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429042325/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/6809222/Why-Georgia-sends-troops-to-Afghanistan.html |archive-date=29 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Over 11,000 Georgian soldiers rotated through Afghanistan during the course of the war;<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ostroska|first1=Jessica|title=Georgian Army ends mission in Helmand|url=http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/georgian-army-ends-mission-in-helmand.html|website=Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force|access-date=21 July 2016|date=16 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808050637/http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/georgian-army-ends-mission-in-helmand.html|archive-date=8 August 2014}}</ref> [[Coalition casualties in Afghanistan|32 were killed]],<ref>[https://www.old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=30328 Georgian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210222144/https://www.old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=30328 |date=10 December 2023 }} : "bringing the total number of Georgia's Afghanistan death toll to 32", 4 August 2017</ref> mostly during the [[Helmand province campaign|Helmand campaign]], and 435 were wounded, including 35 amputees.<ref name=civil2>{{cite news |title=Georgian Troops End Mission in Helmand |url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=27498 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810204533/http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=27498  |archive-date=10 August 2014 | access-date=29 December 2021 |agency=Civil Georgia |date=17 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Georgian Soldier Succumbs to Injuries Suffered in Afghanistan|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=28333|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171011201239/http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=28333|archive-date=11 October 2017 | access-date=29 December 2021|work=Civil Georgia|date=8 June 2015}}</ref>

=== Law enforcement ===
{{Main|Law enforcement in Georgia (country)}}

In 2005, President [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] fired the entire traffic police force (numbering around 30,000 police officers) of the Georgian National Police due to corruption.<ref name="mcclatchydc.com">{{cite web |author=Mark McDonald, Knight Ridder Newspapers |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/190/story/11216.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309135444/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/190/story/11216.html |archive-date=9 March 2012 |title=Firing of traffic police force stands as a symbol of hope in Georgia &#124; McClatchy |publisher=Mcclatchydc.com |access-date=30 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4849472 |title=Georgia's National Police Corruption Project |publisher=NPR |date=15 September 2005 |access-date=30 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127222146/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4849472 |archive-date=27 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> A new force was then subsequently built around new recruits.<ref name="mcclatchydc.com" /> The [[US State Department|U.S. State Department]]'s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law-Enforcement Affairs has provided assistance to the training efforts and continues to act in an advisory capacity.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0OXU/is_8_60/ai_n15387346 |title=Building security in the Republic of Georgia |first1=Andrew |last1=Stamer |journal=Soldiers Magazine |date=August 2005 |archive-date=16 June 2011 |access-date=3 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616050419/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0OXU/is_8_60/ai_n15387346/ |issue=8 |volume=60 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

The new ''Patruli'' force was first introduced in the summer of 2005 to replace the traffic police, a force which was accused of widespread corruption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.president.gov.ge/?l=E&m=0&sm=3&st=120&id=211 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614173627/http://www.president.gov.ge/?l=E&m=0&sm=3&st=120&id=211  |archive-date=14 June 2011 |title=Remarks by President Saakashvili at the CIS Summit in Tbilisi |publisher=President of Georgia |date=3 June 2005 |access-date=23 December 2007}}</ref> The police introduced a 0–2–2 (currently, 1–1–2) [[Emergency telephone number|emergency dispatch]] service in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://georgia.usembassy.gov/wardenmessage20041019.html |title=Security Notice |publisher=American Embassy Tbilisi |access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815111418/http://georgia.usembassy.gov/wardenmessage20041019.html |archive-date=15 August 2007 }}</ref>

=== Corruption ===
{{Main|Corruption in Georgia}}

Prior to the [[Rose Revolution]], Georgia was among the most corrupt countries in the world.<ref name=forpol>{{cite web| last1 =Berglund| first1 =Christopher| last2 =Engvall| first2 =Johan| title =How Georgia Stamped Out Corruption on Campus| work =Foreign Policy| date =3 September 2015| url =https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/03/how-georgia-stamped-out-corruption-on-campus/| access-date =13 August 2021| archive-date =20 July 2019| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190720025035/https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/03/how-georgia-stamped-out-corruption-on-campus/| url-status =live}}</ref> However, following the reforms brought by the peaceful revolution, corruption in the country abated dramatically. In 2010, [[Transparency International]] (TI) named Georgia "the best corruption-buster in the world."<ref name=econ>{{cite news| title =Lessons from Georgia's fight against graft| newspaper =The Economist| date =7 February 2012| url =https://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/02/tbilisi%E2%80%99s-corruption-busters| archive-date =31 August 2019| access-date =13 August 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190831044853/https://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/02/tbilisi%E2%80%99s-corruption-busters| url-status =live}}</ref> In 2012, the [[World Bank]] called Georgia a "unique success" of the world in fighting corruption, noting "Georgia's experience shows that the vicious cycle of endemic corruption can be broken and, with appropriate and decisive reforms, can be turned into a virtuous cycle."<ref name=bank>{{cite web| title =Georgia's Fight Against Corruption in Public Services Wins Praise| work =The World Bank| date =31 January 2012| url =http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2012/01/31/georgias-fight-against-corruption-in-public-services-wins-praise| access-date =13 August 2021| archive-date =31 August 2019| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190831041819/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2012/01/31/georgias-fight-against-corruption-in-public-services-wins-praise| url-status =live}}</ref>

Although Georgia has been very successful in reducing blatant forms of corruption, other, more subtle corrupt practices have been noted. For example, in its 2017 report, [[Council of Europe]] observed that while most day-to-day corruption has been eliminated, there are some indications of a "[[Clientelism|clientelistic]] system" whereby the country's leadership may allocate resources in ways that generate the loyalty and support it needs to stay in power.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016806dc116|title=Fourth Evaluation Round on Georgia|access-date=13 August 2021|archive-date=24 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324084032/https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016806dc116|url-status=live}} [[Council of Europe]], 17 January 2017</ref> Since 2012 stagnation in corruption fighting efforts can be observed, according to Transparency International.<ref>{{cite web| title =Georgia's anti-corruption reforms stall amid political crisis and allegations of state capture| work =Transparency International| date =28 January 2021| access-date =29 December 2021| url =https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/cpi-2020-georgia-anti-corruption-reforms-stall-political-crisis-state-capture| archive-date =29 December 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211229184945/https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/cpi-2020-georgia-anti-corruption-reforms-stall-political-crisis-state-capture| url-status =live}}</ref> Since 2016 the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index hovers around 56 out of 100 points. In comparison, that places Georgia in the top 50 out of 180 countries, among Central European and [[Mediterranean]] EU member states.<ref>{{cite web| title =Corruption Perception Index 2020| work =Transparency International| date =28 January 2021| access-date =29 December 2021| url =https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/geo| archive-date =29 December 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211229184942/https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/geo| url-status =live}}</ref>

=== Human rights and freedom ===
{{Main|Human rights in Georgia}}

Human rights in Georgia are guaranteed by the [[Constitution of Georgia (country)|country's constitution]]. There is an independent human rights ''public defender'' elected by the [[Parliament of Georgia]] to ensure such rights are enforced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ombudsman.ge |title=Georgia's public defender |publisher=Ombudsman.ge |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721025943/http://www.ombudsman.ge/ |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref> Georgia has ratified the [[Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities]] in 2005. NGO "Tolerance", in its alternative report about its implementation, speaks of a rapid decrease in the number of Azerbaijani schools and cases of appointing headmasters to Azerbaijani schools who do not speak the [[Azerbaijani language]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minelres.lv/reports/georgia/Shadow_Report_Georgia_2008.pdf |title=Alternative report on the implementation by Georgia of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in the region of Kvemo Kartli – Tbilisi, 2008 – p. 58–59 |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718173634/http://www.minelres.lv/reports/georgia/Shadow_Report_Georgia_2008.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}</ref>

The government came under criticism for its alleged use of excessive force on 26 May 2011 when it dispersed [[2011 Georgian protests|protesters]] led by [[Nino Burjanadze]], among others, with tear gas and rubber bullets after they refused to clear [[Rustaveli Avenue]] for an independence day parade despite the expiration of their demonstration permit and despite being offered to choose an alternative venue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news.az/articles/Georgia/37341 |title=US, Britain, call for probe into May 26 events in Georgia |publisher=News.Az |date=28 May 2011 |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601003707/http://www.news.az/articles/georgia/37341 |archive-date=1 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Rachel Denber |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/26/georgia-police-used-excessive-force-peaceful-protests |title=Georgia: Police Used Excessive Force on Peaceful Protests |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=26 May 2011 |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702215753/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/26/georgia-police-used-excessive-force-peaceful-protests |archive-date=2 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tbilisi Mayor's Offers Protesters Alternative Venues for Rally|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23518|publisher=Civil.ge | access-date=29 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722174050/http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23518|archive-date=22 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ABC-AP">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13688230|title=Georgian Police Say 2 Killed in Protest Dispersal|last=Misha |first=Dzhindzhikhashvili |date=26 May 2011|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|agency=Associated Press|access-date=24 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122114205/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13688230|archive-date=22 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> While human rights activists maintained that the protests were peaceful, the government pointed out that many protesters were masked and armed with heavy sticks and Molotov cocktails.<ref>{{cite web|title=Audio, Video Recordings Implicate Protest Leaders to 'Plotting Violence'|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23537|publisher=Civil.ge | access-date=29 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025190210/http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23537|archive-date=25 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Georgian opposition leader Nino Burjanadze said the accusations of planning a coup were baseless, and that the protesters' actions were legitimate.<ref name="ABC-AP" /><ref>{{cite news |author=Luke Harding in Moscow and agencies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/09/georgia-protests-mikheil-saakashvili |title=Thousands gather for street protests against Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili |work=The Guardian |location=UK |access-date=3 July 2011 |date=9 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906100645/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/09/georgia-protests-mikheil-saakashvili |archive-date=6 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Georgians protesting against homophobia in downtown Tbilisi.jpg|thumb|Georgians protesting against [[homophobia]] in front of parliament following anti-LGBT unrest]]

Since independence, Georgia maintained harsh policies against drugs, handing out lengthy sentences even for [[marijuana]] use. This came under criticism from human rights activists<ref>{{cite news|title=PM Strongly Against of Marijuana Decriminalization|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=28323|access-date=29 December 2021|work=Civil Georgia|date=4 June 2015|archive-date=29 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229200121/https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=28323|url-status=live}}</ref> and led to protests.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/tamar-papalashvili/fighting-back-against-georgia-s-war-on-drugs |title=Fighting back against Georgia's war on drugs |publisher=openDemocracy |date=15 December 2016 |access-date=2017-01-14 |archive-date=13 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113074224/https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/tamar-papalashvili/fighting-back-against-georgia-s-war-on-drugs  }}</ref> In response to lawsuits from civil society organizations, in 2018 the [[Constitutional Court of Georgia]] ruled that "consumption of marijuana is an action protected by the right to free personality"<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/breannawilson/2018/09/05/berlin-is-out-tbilisi-is-in-georgias-capital-is-this-years-most-exciting-city/?sh=5ff1accb479d Berlin is Out, Tbilisi is In] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805114851/https://www.forbes.com/sites/breannawilson/2018/09/05/berlin-is-out-tbilisi-is-in-georgias-capital-is-this-years-most-exciting-city/?sh=5ff1accb479d |date=5 August 2021 }}, [[Forbes]], September 2018</ref> and that "[Marijuana] can only harm the user's health, making that user him/herself responsible for the outcome. The responsibility for such actions does not cause dangerous consequences for the public."<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgian Court Abolishes Fines For Marijuana Consumption |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/georgian-constitutional-court-abolishes-fines-for-marijuana-consumption/29399496.html |access-date=9 August 2018 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=30 July 2018 |archive-date=8 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808115257/https://www.rferl.org/a/georgian-constitutional-court-abolishes-fines-for-marijuana-consumption/29399496.html |url-status=live }}</ref> With this ruling, Georgia became one of the [[Legality of cannabis|first countries in the world to legalize cannabis]], although using the drug in the presence of children is still illegal and punishable by fines or imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wayne |first1=Shawn |title=Smoking Marijuana Legalized in Georgia |url=http://georgiatoday.ge/news/11592/Smoking-Marijuana-Legalized-in-Georgia |access-date=9 August 2018 |work=Georgia Today |date=30 July 2018 |archive-date=8 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808160506/http://georgiatoday.ge/news/11592/Smoking-Marijuana-Legalized-in-Georgia }}</ref> Georgian prisons tend to be overcrowded with poor living conditions.<ref>{{cite web|last=Davitaia|first=Prof. Dr. Avtandil|title=ISHR Georgia Report 2010: Prison Conditions in the Republic of Georgia|url=http://www.ishr.org/ISHR-Georgia-Report-2010-Prison-Conditions-in-the-Republic-of-G.1367.0.html|publisher=International Society for Human Rights (ISHR)|access-date=|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101214018/http://www.ishr.org/ISHR-Georgia-Report-2010-Prison-Conditions-in-the-Republic-of-G.1367.0.html|archive-date=2015-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2008 Human Rights Report: Georgia|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eur/119080.htm|work=2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices|publisher=US Department of State|access-date=February 25, 2009|archive-date=3 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003231259/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eur/119080.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[LGBT rights in Georgia (country)|LGBT individuals in Georgia]] frequently face harassment and violence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.equaldex.com/region/georgia|title=LGBT Rights in Georgia|website=Equaldex|access-date=20 September 2024|archive-date=20 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920204052/https://www.equaldex.com/region/georgia|url-status=live}}</ref> Minor protections exist against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Since 2008 transgender people had been allowed to change their gender marker following [[sex reassignment surgery]]. However, [[Georgian LGBT propaganda bill|a bill passed in 2024]] seeks to remove many protections from LGBT people.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/press-review/20240920-georgia-transgender-model-murdered-as-lawmakers-pass-anti-lgbtq-bill|title=Press Review - Georgia transgender model murdered as lawmakers pass anti LGBTQ bill|date=September 20, 2024|website=France 24|access-date=20 September 2024|archive-date=20 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920203708/https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/press-review/20240920-georgia-transgender-model-murdered-as-lawmakers-pass-anti-lgbtq-bill|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/09/19/georgia-kesaria-abdramidze-found-dead/|title=Trans model found dead in Georgia's capital Tbilisi|first=Amelia|last=Hansford|date=September 19, 2024|website=PinkNews|access-date=20 September 2024|archive-date=20 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920202210/https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/09/19/georgia-kesaria-abdramidze-found-dead/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kesaria-abramidze-killing-lgbt-rights-georgia/33126132.html|title=Well-Known Georgian Transgender Model Stabbed To Death|first=RFE/RL's Georgian|last=Service|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty }}</ref> The [[European Union]], and various human rights organizations have condemned the legislation.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/european-union/article/2024/09/18/eu-foreign-policy-chief-urges-georgia-to-retract-bill-restricting-lgbtq-rights_6726473_156.html|title=EU foreign policy chief urges Georgia to retract bill restricting LGBTQ+ rights|date=September 18, 2024|via=Le Monde|archive-date=20 September 2024|access-date=20 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920202207/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/european-union/article/2024/09/18/eu-foreign-policy-chief-urges-georgia-to-retract-bill-restricting-lgbtq-rights_6726473_156.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/03/georgia-halt-legislative-assault-on-lgbti-rights/|title=Georgia: Halt legislative assault on LGBTI rights|date=March 26, 2024|website=Amnesty International|access-date=20 September 2024|archive-date=20 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920202205/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/03/georgia-halt-legislative-assault-on-lgbti-rights/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, Georgian President [[Salome Zourabichvili]] condemned the high-profile murder of [[Kesaria Abramidze]], a transgender woman, and subsequently attended her funeral to pay respects.<ref>[https://www.politico.eu/article/georgia-transgender-woman-killed-anti-lgbtq-law/ 'A sobering call': Transgender woman killed in Georgia day after anti-LGBTQ+ law passed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922174936/https://www.politico.eu/article/georgia-transgender-woman-killed-anti-lgbtq-law/ |date=22 September 2024 }}, [[Politico Europe]]: September 19, 2024</ref><ref>[https://mtavari.tv/news/165503-kesaria-abramidze-dakrdzales კესარია აბრამიძე დაკრძალეს], [[Mtavari Arkhi]]: 22 September 2024</ref> The law prohibits both surgeries (or other manipulations) for changing a gender and indication of another gender in state-issued ID documents, among other things.<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 September 2024|title=GD initiates draft legislative package on Protection of Family Values and Minors|url=https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/gd-initiates-draft-legislative-package-on-protection-of-family-values-and-minors/|website=1tv.ge|access-date=29 May 2025|archive-date=7 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907185311/https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/gd-initiates-draft-legislative-package-on-protection-of-family-values-and-minors/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Georgia (country)|Agriculture in Georgia (country)}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em;"
! Rank !! Trading partner !! Share of total<br>trade turnover
|-
| 1 || {{flag|European Union}} || 22.1%
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Turkey}} || 12.2%
|-
| 3 || {{flag|United States}} || 10.9%
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Russia}} || 10.1%
|-
| 5 || {{flag|China}} || 8.9%
|}
[[File:Free Trade Agreements of Georgia.svg|thumb|320px|
{{legend|#aa0000|Georgia}}
{{legend|#008000|Countries with whom Georgia signed Free Trade Agreement (FTA)}}
{{legend|#aade87|Countries with whom Georgia has General Schemes of Preference (GSP)}}]]
Archaeological research demonstrates that Georgia has been involved in commerce with many lands and empires since ancient times, largely due its location on the Black Sea and later on the historical [[Silk Road]]. Gold, silver, copper and [[iron ore|iron]] have been mined in the [[Caucasus Mountains]]. [[Georgian wine]] making is a very old tradition and a key branch of the country's economy. The country has sizeable [[hydropower]] resources.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Energy Information Administration "World Hydroelectricity Installed Capacity" |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/table64h.xls |publisher=Eia.doe.gov |access-date=30 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123080428/http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/table64h.xls |archive-date=23 November 2010 }}</ref> Throughout Georgia's modern history, [[Tourism in Georgia (country)|tourism]] has played a significant economic role because of the country's climate and topography.

For much of the 20th century, Georgia's economy was within the Soviet model of [[command economy]]. Since the fall of the USSR in 1991, Georgia embarked on a major structural reform designed to transition to a [[free market]] economy. As with all other [[post-Soviet states]], Georgia faced a severe economic collapse. The civil war and military conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia aggravated the crisis. The agriculture and industry output diminished. By 1994 the gross domestic product had shrunk to a quarter of that of 1989.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Bank in Georgia 1993–2007|url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTCOUASSEVAL/Resources/GeorgiaCAE.pdf|publisher=World Bank|access-date=14 August 2013|year=2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723093221/http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTCOUASSEVAL/Resources/GeorgiaCAE.pdf|archive-date=23 July 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the early 21st century visible positive developments have been observed in the economy of Georgia. In 2007, Georgia's [[real GDP]] growth rate reached 12 per cent, making Georgia one of the fastest-[[Economic growth|growing economies]] in Eastern Europe. Georgia has become more [[Globalization|integrated]] into the global trading network: its 2015 imports and exports account for 50% and 21% of GDP respectively.<ref name=wits15>{{cite web|title=World Integrates Trade Solution – Country Snapshot Georgia|url=https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/GEO/Year/2015/Summarytext|publisher=World Bank|access-date=2022-10-07|year=2015|archive-date=7 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007160220/https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/GEO/Year/2015/Summarytext|url-status=live}}</ref> Georgia's main imports are vehicles, ores, fossil fuels and pharmaceuticals. Main exports are ores, ferro-alloys, vehicles, wines, mineral waters and fertilizers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Georgia Imports|url=https://wits.worldbank.org/CountrySnapshot/en/GEO|publisher=World Bank|access-date=2022-10-07|archive-date=7 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007154720/https://wits.worldbank.org/CountrySnapshot/en/GEO|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=External Merchandise Trade|url=https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/765/external-merchandise-trade|publisher=National Statistics Office of Georgia Geostat|access-date=2022-10-07|archive-date=7 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007142707/https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/765/external-merchandise-trade|url-status=live}}</ref> The World Bank dubbed Georgia "the number one economic reformer in the world" because it has in one year improved from rank 112th to 18th in terms of [[Ease of Doing Business Index|ease of doing business]],<ref>[http://www.doingbusiness.org/EconomyRankings/ World Bank Economy Rankings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915084658/http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/ |date=15 September 2008 }}.</ref> and by 2020 further improved its position to 6th in the world.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/doingBusiness/media/Annual-Reports/English/DB2019-report_web-version.pdf|title=Doing Business 2019|last=World Bank|publisher=World Bank Publications|year=2018|isbn=978-1-4648-1326-9|pages=5, 11, 13|access-date=2 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106004640/http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/doingBusiness/media/Annual-Reports/English/DB2019-report_web-version.pdf|archive-date=6 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2021, it ranked 12th in the world for [[Index of Economic Freedom|economic freedom]]. In 2019, Georgia ranked 61st on the [[Human Development Index]] (HDI). Between 2000 and 2019, Georgia's HDI score improved by 17.7%.<ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/GEO.pdf "Briefing note for countries on the 2020 Human Development Report"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522120247/https://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/GEO.pdf |date=22 May 2022 }}, [[United Nations Development Program]], 2020</ref> Of factors contributing to HDI, education had the most positive influence<ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/GEO.pdf "Briefing note for countries on the 2020 Human Development Report": Figure 1: Trends in Georgia's HDI component indices 2000–2019] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522120247/https://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/GEO.pdf |date=22 May 2022 }}, [[United Nations Development Program]], 2020</ref> as Georgia [[Education Index|ranks in the top quintile]] in terms of education.

Georgia is developing into an international transport corridor through [[Batumi]] and [[Poti]] ports, [[Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway|Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway line]], an oil pipeline from [[Baku]] through Tbilisi to [[Ceyhan]], the [[Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline]] (BTC) and a parallel gas pipeline, the [[South Caucasus Pipeline]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bp.com/en_az/caspian/operationsprojects/pipelines/SCP.html |title=South Caucasus Pipeline |access-date=21 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928111754/http://www.bp.com/en_az/caspian/operationsprojects/pipelines/SCP.html |archive-date=28 September 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since coming to power the Saakashvili administration accomplished a series of reforms aimed at improving tax collection. Among other things a [[flat income tax]] was introduced in 2004.<ref>The Financial Times – [http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=georgia+tax&y=0&aje=true&x=0&id=061018006831 Flat taxes could be a flash in the pan, IMF research says]{{dead link|date=November 2010}}</ref> As a result, budget revenues have increased fourfold and a once large [[budget deficit]] has turned into a [[budget surplus|surplus]].<ref>[[World Bank]], [http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:21725423~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html World Development Indicators 2008]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418130043/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0%2C%2CcontentMDK%3A21725423~pagePK%3A64133150~piPK%3A64133175~theSitePK%3A239419%2C00.html |date=18 April 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.investingeorgia.org/about_us/faq/|title=Frequently Asked Questions: I. Macroeconomic Environment|website=investingeorgia.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628104040/http://www.investingeorgia.org/about_us/faq/ |archive-date=28 June 2010 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=188&lang=eng|title=Living conditions|publisher=GeoStat|access-date=26 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203041659/http://www.geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=188&lang=eng|archive-date=3 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, the average monthly income of a household was 1,022.3[[Georgian lari|₾]] (about [[US dollar|$]]426).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=182&lang=eng|title=Households Income|publisher=GeoStat|access-date=26 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225024530/http://www.geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=182&lang=eng|archive-date=25 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> 2015 calculations place Georgia's [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|nominal GDP]] at US$13.98&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=119&lang=eng |title=Gross Domestic Product (GDP) |publisher=GeoStat |access-date=26 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203043733/http://www.geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=119&lang=eng |archive-date=3 February 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Georgia's economy is becoming more devoted to [[Service economy|services]] ({{as of|2016|lc=y}}, representing 59.4 per cent of GDP), moving away from the [[agricultural sector]] (6.1 per cent).<ref>{{cite web|title=Services, value added (% of GDP) – Georgia|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.SRV.TOTL.ZS?locations=GE|publisher=World Bank|access-date=2022-10-07|year=2015|archive-date=7 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007154714/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.SRV.TOTL.ZS?locations=GE|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2014, unemployment has been gradually decreasing each year but remained in double digits and worsened during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/683/Employment-Unemployment|title=Employment and Unemployment|access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602233644/https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/683/Employment-Unemployment|url-status=live}}, [[National Statistics Office of Georgia]].</ref> A perception of economic stagnation led to a 2019 survey of 1,500 residents finding unemployment was considered a significant problem by 73% of respondents, with 49% reporting their income had decreased over the prior year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iri.org/resource/georgia-poll-reflects-widespread-concern-over-economic-issues |title=Georgia Poll Reflects Widespread Concern over Economic Issues |publisher=[[International Republican Institute]] |date=18 July 2019 |access-date=9 September 2021 |archive-date=10 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110052435/https://www.iri.org/resource/georgia-poll-reflects-widespread-concern-over-economic-issues |url-status=live }}</ref>

Georgia's telecommunications infrastructure is ranked the last among its bordering neighbours in the World Economic Forum's [[Network Readiness Index]] (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Georgia ranked number 58 overall in the 2016 NRI ranking,<ref name="NRI">{{cite web|url=http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report-2016/networked-readiness-index/|title=Networked Readiness Index 2016|work=Global Information Technology Report 2016 |publisher=World Economic Forum|access-date=21 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221235737/http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report-2016/networked-readiness-index/|archive-date=21 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> up from 60 in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report-2015/network-readiness-index/|title=Networked Readiness Index 2015|work=Global Information Technology Report 2015 |publisher=World Economic Forum|access-date=26 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125102711/http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report-2015/network-readiness-index/|archive-date=25 January 2017}}</ref> Georgia was ranked 56th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/georgia |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17 |archive-date=12 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012035001/https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
{{Main|Tourism in Georgia (country)}}

[[File:Gudauri Ski Resort, Gudauri, Georgia (Unsplash).jpg|thumb|[[Gudauri]] is the most visited ski resort of Georgia.]]
Tourism is an increasingly significant part of the Georgian economy. In 2016, over 2.7 million tourists brought approximately US$2.16&nbsp;billion to the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gnta.ge/statistics/ |title=Georgian National Tourism Administration – Researches |publisher=Georgian National Tourism Administration |access-date=26 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228023216/http://gnta.ge/statistics/ |archive-date=28 February 2017 }}</ref> In 2019, the number of international arrivals reached a record high of 9.3&nbsp;million people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gnta.ge/statistics/|title=Statistics|date=February 2018|publisher=MIA|access-date=3 May 2018|archive-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029164540/https://gnta.ge/statistics/|url-status=dead}}</ref> with foreign exchange income in the year's first three-quarters amounting to over US$3&nbsp;billion. The country plans to host 11 million visitors by 2025 with annual revenues reaching US$6.6&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.economy.ge/uploads/ecopolitic/turizmi-/sakartvelos%20turizmis%20strategia%202025.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718103823/http://www.economy.ge/uploads/ecopolitic/turizmi-/sakartvelos%20turizmis%20strategia%202025.pdf |archive-date=2017-07-18 |url-status=live|title=Georgia Tourism Strategy}}</ref> According to the government, there are 103 resorts in different [[Köppen climate classification|climatic zones]] in Georgia. Tourist attractions include more than 2,000 [[Spring (hydrology)|mineral springs]], over 12,000 historical and cultural monuments, four of which are recognized as [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s ([[Bagrati Cathedral]] in [[Kutaisi]] and [[Gelati Monastery]], historical monuments of [[Mtskheta]], and [[Upper Svaneti]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.investingeorgia.org/sectors/tourism/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626105604/http://www.investingeorgia.org/sectors/tourism/|url-status=dead|title=Invest in Georgia: Tourism|archivedate=26 June 2010}}</ref> Other tourist attractions are [[Uplistsikhe|Cave City]], [[Ananuri]] Castle/Church, [[Sighnaghi]] and [[Mount Kazbek]]. In 2018, more than 1.4&nbsp;million tourists from Russia visited Georgia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russian Flight Ban Could Cost Georgia $300M, Experts Say |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/06/24/russian-flight-ban-could-cost-georgia-300m-experts-say-a66132 |work=The Moscow Times |date=24 June 2019 |archive-date=27 October 2020 |access-date=16 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027215749/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/06/24/russian-flight-ban-could-cost-georgia-300m-experts-say-a66132 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Transport ===
{{Main|Transport in Georgia (country)}}

[[File:Stadler KISS for Georgian Railways (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[Georgian Railways]] represent a vital artery linking the Black Sea and [[Caspian Sea]] – the shortest route between Europe and Central Asia.]]
Transport in Georgia is provided by [[Georgian Railway|rail]], road, ferry, and air. The total length of [[Roads in Georgia (country)|roads in Georgia]], excluding the [[Russian-occupied territories in Georgia|occupied territories]], is {{convert|21110|km}} and railways – {{convert|1576|km|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geostat.ge/media/42476/Yearbook_2021.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook of Georgia 2021 |publisher=National Statistics Office of Georgia |page=200 |date=28 December 2021 |access-date=31 December 2021 |archive-date=31 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231103759/https://www.geostat.ge/media/42476/Yearbook_2021.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Positioned in the Caucasus and on the coast of the Black Sea, Georgia is a key country for connecting the European Union with Asia while bypassing Russia, forming part of the [[Trans-Caspian International Transport Route]].

The Georgian railways represent an important transport artery for the Caucasus, as they make up the largest proportion of a route linking the Black and [[Caspian Sea]]s. In turn, this has allowed them to benefit in recent years from increased energy exports from neighbouring Azerbaijan to the European Union, Ukraine, and Turkey.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=407&lang=eng |title=Georgian Railway |publisher=Railway.ge |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506073139/http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=407&lang=eng |archive-date=6 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Passenger services are operated by the state-owned [[Georgian Railway]] while freight operations are carried out by a number of licensed operators. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=245&lang=eng |title=Georgian Railway |publisher=Railway.ge |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007083201/https://railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=245&lang=eng |archive-date=7 October 2012 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=242&lang=eng |title=Georgian Railway |publisher=Railway.ge |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506073016/http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=242&lang=eng |archive-date=6 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additional projects also include the construction of the economically important [[Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway]], which was opened on 30 October 2017 and connects much of the Caucasus with Turkey by [[standard gauge]] railway.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=290&lang=eng |title=Georgian Railway |publisher=Railway.ge |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506072507/http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_id=290&lang=eng |archive-date=6 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line Officially Launched|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/baku-tbilisi-kars-railway-line-officially-launched-azerbaijan-georgia-turkey/28824764.html|access-date=3 November 2017|agency=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=30 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101204253/https://www.rferl.org/a/baku-tbilisi-kars-railway-line-officially-launched-azerbaijan-georgia-turkey/28824764.html|archive-date=1 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:US Navy 200623-N-O901-0001 USS Porter (DDG 78) in Batumi, Georgia on June 23, 2020.jpg|thumb|[[Batumi Seaport]] in June 2020]]
Air and maritime transport is developing in Georgia, with the former mainly used by passengers and the latter for transport of freight. Georgia currently has four international airports, the largest of which is by far [[Tbilisi International Airport]], hub for [[Georgian Airways]], which offers connections to many large European cities. Other airports in the country are largely underdeveloped or lack scheduled traffic, although, as of late, efforts have been made to solve both these problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evolutsia.net/kutaisis-airport-georgias-opportunity/ |title=Kutaisi's airport: Georgia's opportunity |publisher=Evolutsia.Net |date=18 January 2012 |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229115503/http://www.evolutsia.net/kutaisis-airport-georgias-opportunity/ |archive-date=29 February 2012 }}</ref> There are a number of seaports along Georgia's Black Sea coast, the largest and most busy of which is the Port of Batumi; while the town is itself a seaside resort, the port is a major cargo terminal in the Caucasus and is often used by neighbouring Azerbaijan as a transit point for making energy deliveries to Europe. Scheduled and chartered passenger ferry services link Georgia with Bulgaria,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukrferry.com/eng/schedules/varna-batumi |title=Varna – Batumi |publisher=Ukrferry |access-date=31 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202061252/http://www.ukrferry.com/eng/schedules/varna-batumi |archive-date=2 February 2017 }}</ref> Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukrferry.com/eng/schedules |title=Schedules |publisher=Ukrferry |access-date=31 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202060856/http://www.ukrferry.com/eng/schedules |archive-date=2 February 2017 }}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Georgia (country)|Georgians}}

[[File:Caucasus-ethnic en.svg|upright=1.15|thumb|Ethno-linguistic groups in the Caucasus region as of 1995<ref name="ECMI">{{cite web|url=http://www.ecmicaucasus.org/menu/info_maps.html|title=ECMI – European Centre For Minority Issues Georgia|website=www.ecmicaucasus.org|access-date=2 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904143533/http://ecmicaucasus.org/menu/info_maps.html|archive-date=4 September 2014}}</ref>]]

Georgians do not fit into any of the main ethno-linguistic categories of Europe or Asia. The Georgian language, the most pervasive of the [[Kartvelian languages]], is not [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]], [[Turkic languages|Turkic]], or [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]. The present-day Georgian or Kartvelian nation is thought to have resulted from the fusion of [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] inhabitants with various immigrants who moved into [[South Caucasus]] from [[Anatolia]] in remote antiquity.<ref>History of Modern Georgia, David Marshal Lang, p 18.{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}}</ref>

Preliminary results of 2024 census indicates that the population is approximately 3,914,000 as of November 2024,<ref name="ReferenceA" />{{efn|name=a|Data not including Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia}} an increase from 3,713,804 in the previous census in October 2014.<ref name="census2014summary">{{Cite web |url=http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf |title=Main Results of the 2014 Census (Publication) |work=Census.ge, National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) |pages=2–8 |date=28 April 2016 |access-date=2022-02-02 |language=en |archive-date=8 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808154843/http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf  }}</ref>{{efn|name=a}} The population declined by 40,000 in 2021, a reversal of the trend towards stabilization of the last decade and, for the first time since independence, the population was recorded to be below 3.7&nbsp;million. According to the 2014 census, [[Ethnic Georgians]] form about 86.8 percent of the population, while the remainder includes ethnic groups such as [[Abkhazians]], [[Armenians in Georgia|Armenians]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Azerbaijanis in Georgia|Azerbaijanis]], [[Pontic Greeks|Greeks]], [[Georgian Jews|Jews]], [[Kists]], [[Ossetians]], [[Russians]], [[Ukrainians]], [[Yezidis]] and others.<ref name="census2014summary" />{{efn|name=a}} The Georgian Jews are one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. According to the 1926 census there were 27,728 Jews in Georgia.<ref name="census1926">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rngeorgia.html |title=1926 ethnic composition |access-date=2022-05-18 |work=Ethno Kavkaz |language=ru}}</ref>{{efn|Combined population of urban (23,433 in 1922) and rural (2,326 in 1917) communities.{{sfnp|Russian Review|1925|p=499}}}} Georgia was also once home to significant ethnic German communities, numbering 11,394 according to the 1926 census.<ref name="census1926" />{{efn|Estimated 14,000 in 1922.{{sfnp|Russian Review|1925|p=498}}}} Most of them [[Caucasus Germans#Bolnisi, Georgia|were deported]] during World War II.<ref>{{cite web |title=Deutsche Kolonisten in Georgien |publisher=Einung |url=http://einung.org.ge/deutsche-kolonisten-in-georgien/ |access-date=31 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301172241/http://einung.org.ge/deutsche-kolonisten-in-georgien/ |archive-date=1 March 2017 }}</ref>

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. Consecutive research estimated the 2002 census to be inflated by 8 to 9 percent,{{sfnp|Hakkert|2017|pp=1–4}} which affected the annually updated population estimates in subsequent years. One explanation put forward by UNFPA is that families of emigrants continued to list them in 2002 as residents for fear of losing certain rights or benefits. Also, the population registration system from birth to death was non-functional. It was not until around 2010 that parts of the system became reliable again. With the support of the UNFPA, the demographic data for the period 1994–2014 has been retro-projected.<ref name="retroprojection">{{Cite web |title=Retro-projection of main demographic indicators for the period 1994–2014 |work=National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) |date=18 May 2018 |url=https://www.geostat.ge/en/single-archive/3199 |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref> On the basis of that back-projection, Geostat has corrected its data for these years.

The 1989 census recorded 341,000 ethnic [[Russians in Georgia|Russians]], or 6.3 percent of the population,<ref>[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav043009.shtml Georgia: Ethnic Russians Say, "There's No Place Like Home"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216143900/https://eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav043009.shtml |date=16 February 2018 }}. EurasiaNet.org. 30 April 2009.</ref> 52,000 [[Ukrainians]] and 100,000 [[Greeks in Georgia]].<ref name="emigration" /> The population of Georgia, including the breakaway regions, has declined by more than 1 million due to net emigration in the period 1990–2010.{{sfnp|Hakkert |2017|p=14}}<ref name=emigration>[http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ge412ang.pdf Ethnic minorities in Georgia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501012802/http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ge412ang.pdf |date=1 May 2009}}. Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme.</ref> Other factors in the population decline include birth-death deficits for the period 1995–2010 and the exclusion of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from the statistics. Russia received by far the most migrants from Georgia. According to United Nations data, this totalled 625,000 by 2000, declining to 450,000 by 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates19.asp |title=International migrant stock 2019, 'by destination and origin' |work=United Nations |date=2019 |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref> Initially, the out-migration was driven by non-Georgian ethnicities, but increasing numbers of Georgians emigrated as well,{{sfnp|Jones|2013|p=204}} due to the war, the crisis-ridden 1990s, and the subsequent bad economic outlook. The 2010 Russian census recorded about 158,000 ethnic Georgians living in Russia,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census |work=Russian Census |url=http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/results2.html |date=18 June 2014 |access-date=2022-02-02 |language=ru |archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209035558/http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/results2.html}}</ref> with approximately 40,000 living in Moscow by 2014.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.rbth.com/longreads/tbilisi_on_moskva/index.html |title=Georgians in Russia |work=Russia Beyond the Headlines |date=18 June 2014 |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref> There were 184 thousand immigrants in Georgia in 2014 with most of them hailing from Russia (51.6%), Greece (8.3%), Ukraine (8.11%), Germany (4.3%), and Armenia (3.8%).<ref name="Immigration">{{cite web|url=http://census.ge/files/results/english/29-2_Immigrants%20by%20previous%20country%20of%20residence%20and%20usual%20place%20of%20residence.xls|title=Immigrants by previous country of residence and usual place of residence|access-date=2 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809235430/http://census.ge/files/results/english/29-2_Immigrants%20by%20previous%20country%20of%20residence%20and%20usual%20place%20of%20residence.xls|archive-date=9 August 2016}}</ref>{{efn|name=a}}

In the early 1990s, following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], violent [[separatism|separatist]] conflicts broke out in the autonomous region of Abkhazia and [[South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast|Tskhinvali Region]]. Many [[Ossetians]] living in Georgia left the country, mainly to Russia's [[North Ossetia]].<ref>Human Rights Watch/Helsinki, [http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Russia.htm Russia: The Ingush–Ossetian Conflict in the Prigorodnyi Region] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513003516/http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Russia.htm |date=13 May 2007}}, May 1996.</ref> On the other hand, at least 160,000 Georgians left Abkhazia after the breakout of hostilities in 1993.{{sfnp|Hakkert|2017|p=43}} Of the [[Meskhetian Turk]]s who were [[Population transfer in the Soviet Union|forcibly relocated]] in 1944, only a tiny fraction returned to Georgia {{As of|2008|lc=y}}.<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749c843c,0.html World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Uzbekistan: Meskhetian Turks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016183834/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749c843c,0.html |date=16 October 2012 }}. Minority Rights Group International.</ref>

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Georgia is one of 22 countries with a GHI score of less than 5. Differences between their scores are minimal. With a score under 5, Georgia has a level of hunger that is low.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref>

===Largest cities===
{{Largest cities
| country      = Georgia (country)
| stat_ref     = [http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf 2014 General Population Census Main Results]
| list_by_pop  = List of cities and towns in Georgia (country)
| div_name     =
| div_link     = Administrative divisions of Georgia (country){{!}}Administrative divisions of Georgia
| city_1 = Tbilisi | div_1= Tbilisi | pop_1 = 1 108 717| city_2 = Batumi  | div_2 =  Adjara |pop_2 = 152 839 | city_3 = Kutaisi | div_3 = Imereti |pop_3 = 147 635 | city_4 = Rustavi | div_4 = Kvemo Kartli |pop_4 = 125 103 | city_5 = Gori, Georgia{{!}}Gori | div_5 = Shida Kartli |pop_5 = 48 143
| city_6 = Zugdidi | div_6 = Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti |pop_6 = 42 998
| city_7 = Poti | div_7 = Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti |pop_7 = 41,465
| city_8 = Sokhumi | div_8 = Abkhazia |pop_8 = ''39,100''{{efn|name=occ|Occupied city, estimated data}}
| city_9 = Khashuri | div_9 = Shida Kartli |pop_9 = 33 627
| city_10 = Tskhinvali | div_10 = Shida Kartli |pop_10 = ''30,000''{{efn|name=occ}}
}}

===Languages===
The most widespread language group is the [[Kartvelian languages|Kartvelian family]], which includes Georgian, [[Svan language|Svan]], [[Mingrelian language|Mingrelian]] and [[Laz language|Laz]].{{sfnp|Boeder|2002|p=3}}{{sfnp|Boeder|2005|p=6}}{{sfnp|Gamkrelidze|1966|p=69}}{{sfnp|Fähnrich|Sardzhveladze|2000|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}}{{sfnp|Kajaia|2001|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}}{{sfnp|Klimov|1998|p=14}} The official language of Georgia is [[Georgian language|Georgian]], with [[Abkhazian language|Abkhaz]] having official status within the autonomous region of Abkhazia. Georgian is the primary language of 85.1 per cent of the population, followed by 6.8 per cent speaking [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], 3.5 per cent [[Armenian language|Armenian]], 1.4 per cent Russian, and 3.2 per cent other languages.<ref name="census2024">{{Cite web |title=2024 Population Census of Georgia results &#124; Demographic and Social Characteristics |url=https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/910/demographic-and-social-characteristics |access-date=2 June 2026}}</ref>{{efn|name=a}}

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Georgia (country)}}

{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Main religions (2024)<ref name="census2024" />{{efn|name=a}}
|label1 = [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]]
|value1 = 82.02
|color1 = DarkOrchid
|label2 = [[Muslim]]
|value2 = 11.13
|color2 = MediumSeaGreen
|label3 = [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]]
|value3 = 2.59
|color3 = FireBrick
|label4 = [[Roman Catholicism in Georgia|Roman Catholic]]
|value4 = 0.50
|color4 = Violet
|label5 = Others
|value5 = 3.76
|color5 = YellowGreen
}}
Today, 82 percent of the population practices [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christianity]], with the majority of these adhering to the national [[Georgian Orthodox Church]].<ref name="census2024" />{{efn|name=a}} The Georgian Orthodox Church is one of the world's oldest Christian churches, and claims apostolic foundation by [[Saint Andrew]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patriarchate.ge/_en/?action=istoria |title=The History of Georgian Orthodox Church |website=Patriarchate of Georgia |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111023844/http://www.patriarchate.ge/_en/?action=istoria |archive-date=11 January 2015 }}</ref> In the first half of the 4th century, Christianity was adopted as the state religion of Iberia (present-day eastern Georgia), following the missionary work of [[Saint Nino]] of [[Cappadocia]].<ref name="Toumanoff1963">{{cite book |author-link=Cyril Toumanoff |last=Toumanoff |first=Cyril |year=1963 |chapter=Iberia between Chosroid and Bagratid Rule |title=Studies in Christian Caucasian History |publisher=Georgetown |pages=374–377 |url=http://rbedrosian.com/Ref/Toumicb/toumicb.html |access-date=4 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208043427/http://rbedrosian.com/Ref/Toumicb/toumicb.html |archive-date=8 February 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Rapp2007">{{cite book|last=Rapp|first=Stephen H. Jr|title=The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWp9JA3aBvcC&pg=PA137|access-date=11 May 2012 |year=2007 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4443-3361-9|page=138|chapter=7 – Georgian Christianity}}</ref> The Church gained [[autocephaly]] during the early Middle Ages; it was abolished during the Russian domination of the country, restored in 1917 and fully recognized by the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]] in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://patriarchate.ge/geo/martlmadidebluri-eklesiebi/avtokefaluri-eklesiebi|title=მართლმადიდებელი ავტოკეფალური ეკლესიები|publisher=საქართველოს საპატრიარქო|access-date=27 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228165838/http://patriarchate.ge/geo/martlmadidebluri-eklesiebi/avtokefaluri-eklesiebi/|archive-date=28 February 2017}}</ref>

The special status of the Georgian Orthodox Church is officially recognized in the Constitution of Georgia and the [[Concordat of 2002]].<ref name=lorusso/> While Georgia is officially a [[Secularism|secular]] country where religious institutions operate separately from the state, the Concordat established the Georgian Orthodox Church as the only recognized church in Georgia, which means other religious institutions have to seek recognition as civil organizations.<ref name=lorusso>{{cite web |url=https://www.ispionline.it/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/analysis_174_2013.pdf.pdf |title=Georgian Secularism Between Modernization and Democratization: Minority Issues and Social Cohesion |last=Lorusso |first=Marilisa |publisher=[[Institute for International Political Studies]] |date=May 2013 |page=3 |access-date=21 March 2026}}</ref>

Religious minorities of Georgia include Muslims (11.1 percent), [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Christians]] (2.6 percent) and Roman Catholics (0.5 percent).<ref name="census2024" />{{efn|name=a}} 0.6 percent of those recorded in the 2024 census declared themselves to be adherents of other religions, 2.7 percent refused or did not state their religion and 0.5 percent declared no religion at all.<ref name="census2024" />

[[Islam in Georgia (country)|Islam]] is represented by both Azerbaijani [[Shia]] Muslims (in the south-east), ethnic Georgian [[Sunni]] Muslims in Adjara, Chechen sub-ethnic group of Sunni [[Kist people|Kists]] in the Pankisi Gorge, and [[Laz language|Laz]]-speaking Sunni Muslims as well as Sunni [[Meskhetian Turks]] along the border with Turkey. In Abkhazia, a minority of the Abkhaz population is also Sunni Muslim. There are also smaller communities of [[Greek Muslims]] (of [[Pontic Greek]] origin) and [[Armenian Muslims]], both of whom are descended from Ottoman-era converts to Turkish Islam from [[Eastern Anatolia]] who settled in Georgia following the [[Lala Mustafa Pasha's Caucasian campaign]] that led to the Ottoman conquest of the country in 1578. Georgian Jews trace the history of their community to the 6th century BC<ref>Constantine B. Lerner. "The Wellspring of Georgian Historiography: The Early Medieval Historical Chronicle The Conversion of Katli and The Life of St. Nino", England: Bennett and Bloom, London, 2004, p. 60</ref> but due to immigration to Israel, by the early 2000s their numbers had dwindled to several thousand.<ref>Jacobs, Dan Norman. Paul, Ellen Frankel. [https://books.google.com/books?id=M6QK-J-34jMC&pg=PA14 ''Studies of the Third Wave: Recent Migration of Soviet Jews to the United States''] VNR AG, 1 January 1981 {{ISBN|978-0-86531-143-5}} pp. 13–14</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistics.ge/main.php?pform=145&plang=1|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831235152/http://www.statistics.ge/main.php?pform=145&plang=1|url-status=dead|title=statistics.ge|archivedate=31 August 2006|website=www.statistics.ge}}</ref>

Despite the long history of religious harmony in Georgia,{{sfnp|Spilling|Wong|2008|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}} there have been instances of religious discrimination and violence against "nontraditional faiths", such as [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], by followers of the [[defrocked]] Orthodox priest [[Basil Mkalavishvili]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/georgia/georgia_memo_full.htm |title=Memorandum to the U.S. Government on Religious Violence in the Republic of Georgia |date=August 29, 2001 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081102220649/http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/georgia/georgia_memo_full.htm |archive-date=2 November 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to traditional religious organizations, Georgia retains [[Secularism and Irreligion in Georgia|secular and irreligious segments of society]] (0.5 percent),<ref name="census2024" /> as well as a significant portion of religiously affiliated individuals who do not actively practice their faith.<ref>[http://www.css.ethz.ch/publications/pdfs/CAD-20.pdf Caucasus Analytical Digest No.20] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325085305/http://www.css.ethz.ch/publications/pdfs/CAD-20.pdf |date=25 March 2015 }}, [[Heinrich Böll Foundation|Heinrich Böll Stiftung]], 11 October 2010</ref>

=== Education ===
[[File:Elizabeth Bagrationi Orbeliani, a Georgian poet, translator and professor.jpg|thumb|[[Elizabeth Orbeliani]], Georgia's first woman professor and co-founder of [[Tbilisi State University]] in 1918]]
The education system of Georgia has undergone sweeping, though controversial, modernization since 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4724213.stm|title=Georgia purges education system|date=29 July 2005|via=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=10 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219051630/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4724213.stm|archive-date=19 December 2008|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Molly Corso (13 May 2005) [http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav041305.shtml Education reform rocks Georgia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731232621/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav041305.shtml |date=31 July 2016 }}. Eurasianet. [[United Nations Development Programme]]. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.</ref> [[Education in Georgia (country)|Education in Georgia]] is mandatory for all children aged 6–14.<ref name="tempus">[http://www.tempus.ge/EDUCATIONAL%20SYSTEM%20OF%20GEORGIA.html Education system in Georgia]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. National Tempus Office Georgia. Retrieved on 2 September 2008. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The school system is divided into elementary (six years; ages 6–12), basic (three years; ages 12–15), and secondary (three years; ages 15–18), or alternatively vocational studies (two years). Access to higher education is given to students who have gained a secondary school certificate. Only those students who have passed the Unified National Examinations may enrol in a state-accredited higher education institution, based on ranking of the scores received at the exams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://naec.ge/#/en/post/55|publisher=National assessment and examinations center|title=Centralized university entrance examinations|access-date=31 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226132040/http://www.naec.ge/#/en/post/55|archive-date=26 February 2017}}</ref>

Most of these institutions offer three levels of study: a bachelor's programme (three to four years); a master's programme (two years), and a doctoral programme (three years). There is also a certified specialist's programme that represents a single-level higher education programme lasting from three to six years.<ref name="tempus" /><ref>[http://www.mes.gov.ge/index.php?module=text&link_id=50 Education institutions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511223922/http://www.mes.gov.ge/index.php?module=text&link_id=50 |date=11 May 2011 }}. Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.</ref> {{As of|2016}}, 75 higher education institutions are accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=1855&lang=eng|publisher=Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia|title=Authorized institutions|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022182826/http://mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=1855&lang=eng|archive-date=22 October 2016}}</ref> [[Gross enrolment ratio|Gross primary enrolment ratio]] was 117 percent for the period of 2012–2014, the 2nd highest in Europe after Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.ENRR?end=2014&locations=GE&start=1981&view=chart|publisher=The World Bank|title=Gross enrollment ratio, primary, both sexes|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023210048/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.ENRR?end=2014&locations=GE&start=1981&view=chart|archive-date=23 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Tbilisi has become the main artery of the Georgian educational system, particularly since the creation of the [[Democratic Republic of Georgia|First Georgian Republic]] in 1918 permitted the establishment of modern, Georgian-language educational institutions. Tbilisi is home to several major institutions of higher education in Georgia, notably the [[Tbilisi State Medical University]], which was founded as Tbilisi Medical Institute in 1918, and the [[Tbilisi State University]] (TSU), which was established in 1918 and remains the oldest university in the entire Caucasus region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tbilisi.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1297&info_id=6933 |title=New Tbilisi.Gov.Ge – თბილისის მერიის ოფიციალური ვებ გვერდი |publisher=Tbilisi.gov.ge |access-date=5 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220042201/http://www.tbilisi.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1297&info_id=6933 |archive-date=20 February 2012 }}</ref> The number of faculty and staff (collaborators) at TSU is approximately 5,000, with over 35,000 students enrolled. The following four universities are also located in Tbilisi: [[Georgian Technical University]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gtu.ge/Contact/|title=Contact|publisher=gtu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227215738/http://gtu.ge/Contact/|archive-date=27 February 2017}}</ref> which is Georgia's main and largest technical university, [[The University of Georgia (Tbilisi)]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ug.edu.ge/page/full/55|title=Contact|publisher=ug.edu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301054819/https://www.ug.edu.ge/page/full/55|archive-date=1 March 2017}}</ref> as well as [[Caucasus University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cu.edu.ge/en/contact|title=Contact|publisher=cu.edu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216212136/http://cu.edu.ge/en/contact|archive-date=16 February 2017}}</ref> and [[Free University of Tbilisi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freeuni.edu.ge/en/contact|title=Contact|publisher=freeuni.edu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217062548/http://freeuni.edu.ge/en/contact|archive-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Georgia (country)}}

[[File:Georgian theater director Sandro Akhmeteli in 1910.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sandro Akhmeteli]], Georgia's preeminent theater director and a critic of the [[Great Terror]].]]

Georgian culture evolved over thousands of years from its foundations in the [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Iberian]] and Colchian civilizations.<ref>Georgia : in the mountains of poetry 3rd rev. ed., Nasmyth, Peter</ref> Georgian culture enjoyed a [[Georgian Golden Age|renaissance and golden age]] of [[classical literature]], arts, philosophy, architecture and science in the 11th century.<ref>Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts''. Peeters Publishers, {{ISBN|90-429-1318-5}}</ref> Georgian culture was influenced by [[Classical Greece]], the [[Roman Empire]], the [[Byzantine Empire]], the various [[History of Iran#Classical antiquity|Iranian empires]] (notably the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]], [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]], [[Sassanian Empire|Sassanian]], [[Safavid Empire|Safavid]], and [[Qajar Empire|Qajar]] empires),<ref>I. Gagoshidze "The Achaemenid influence in Iberia" Boreas 19. (1996)</ref><ref>[[Ehsan Yarshater|Yarshater, Ehsan]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wBIZAQAAIAAJ "Encyclopædia Iranica"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507035127/https://books.google.com/books?id=wBIZAQAAIAAJ |date=7 May 2016 }} Routledge & Keagan Paul, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-933273-56-6}} pp 464–479</ref><ref>{{cite book |quote=(...) Iranian power and cultural influence dominated eastern Georgia until the coming of the Russians|title= Vagabond Life: The Caucasus Journals of George Kennan |first=Hans Dieter |last=Kennan|publisher= University of Washington Press |year=2013 |page=32 |display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref>Willem Floor, Edmund Herzig. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2S_DxLGKw6IC&pg=PA494 ''Iran and the World in the Safavid Age''] I.B.Tauris, 15 September 2012 {{ISBN|1850439303}} p 494</ref> and later, since the 19th century, by the [[Russian Empire]] and the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="Jones2003">{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Stephen |title=The role of cultural paradigms in Georgian foreign policy |journal=Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics |date=September 2003 |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=83–110 |doi=10.1080/13523270300660019 }}</ref>

This long history has provided a national narrative which encompasses the successful preservation of unique culture and identity in a consistent territory, despite external pressures. Christianity and the Georgian language are particularly important national identifiers.<ref name="Batiashvili2012">{{cite book |last1=Batiashvili |first1=Nutsa |title=Memory and Political Change |chapter=The 'Myth' of the Self: The Georgian National Narrative and Quest for 'Georgianness' |date=2012 |pages=186–200 |doi=10.1057/9780230354241_11 |isbn=978-0-230-30200-6 }}</ref> These cultural, religious, and later political attributes are associated with a European and Western identity, based on a national perception of these attributes that contrasts with surrounding powers.<ref name="Jones2003"/><ref name="Batiashvili2012"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Beacháin |first1=Donnacha Ó |last2=Coene |first2=Frederik |title=Go West: Georgia's European identity and its role in domestic politics and foreign policy objectives |journal=Nationalities Papers |date=November 2014 |volume=42 |issue=6 |pages=923–941 |doi=10.1080/00905992.2014.953466 }}</ref><ref name=carnegie21>{{cite web |url=https://carnegieeurope.eu/2021/04/06/georgia-s-unfinished-search-for-its-place-in-europe-pub-84253 |title=Georgia's Unfinished Search for Its Place in Europe |publisher=Carnegie Europe | date=6 April 2021 | access-date=2022-08-06}}</ref> This self-identity is stronger among the dominant ethnic Georgian population than in the country's minority groups.<ref name=carnegie21/>

Georgia is known for its [[folklore]], traditional music, dances, theatre, cinema, and art. Notable painters from the 20th century include [[Niko Pirosmani]], [[Lado Gudiashvili]], [[Elene Akhvlediani]]; notable ballet choreographers include [[George Balanchine]], [[Vakhtang Chabukiani]], and [[Nino Ananiashvili]]; notable poets include [[Galaktion Tabidze]], [[Lado Asatiani]], and [[Mukhran Machavariani]]; and notable theatre and film directors include [[Robert Sturua]], [[Tengiz Abuladze]], [[Georgi Daneliya|Giorgi Danelia]], and [[Otar Ioseliani]].<ref name="Lang David, Georgians" />

=== Architecture and arts ===
[[File:Fortress of Khertvisi1 (edited).jpg|thumb|[[Khertvisi Fortress]], an example of [[medieval]] Georgian architecture]]
[[Architecture of Georgia (country)|Georgian architecture]] has been influenced by many civilizations. There are several [[architectural styles]] for [[castles]], [[tower]]s, [[fortifications]] and churches. The [[Upper Svaneti]] fortifications, and the castle town of [[Shatili]] in [[Khevsureti]], are some of the finest examples of medieval Georgian [[castle architecture]]. Other architectural features of Georgia include [[Rustavelis Gamziri|Rustaveli]] Avenue in Tbilisi and the [[Old Tbilisi|Old Town District]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

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. Cross-dome architecture developed in Georgia during the 9th century; before that, most Georgian churches were basilicas. 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). One of the most famous late 19th/early 20th century Georgian artists was [[primitivist]] painter [[Niko Pirosmani]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pirosmani.org/pirosmani/ |title=Niko Pirosmani – Short Biographical Information |publisher=Steele Communications |website=Niko Pirosmani |access-date=21 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228055000/http://www.pirosmani.org/pirosmani/ |archive-date=28 December 2016 }}</ref>

===Literature===
The [[Georgian language]], and the Classical Georgian literature of the poet [[Shota Rustaveli]], were revived in the 19th century after a long period of turmoil, laying the foundations of the [[Romanticism|romantics]] and novelists of the modern era such as [[Grigol Orbeliani]], [[Nikoloz Baratashvili]], [[Ilia Chavchavadze]], [[Akaki Tsereteli]], and [[Vazha-Pshavela]].<ref name="Lang David, Georgians">Lang David, Georgians.{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}}</ref> The Georgian language is written in three unique [[Georgian scripts|scripts]] which, according to traditional accounts, were invented by King [[Pharnavaz I of Iberia]] in the 3rd century BC.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gamkrelidze |first1=Irakli |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=05AOEAAAQBAJ&dq=Georgian+three+scripts+Pharnavaz+I&pg=PA8 |title=Geotourism Potential of Georgia, the Caucasus: History, Culture, Geology, Geotourist Routes and Geoparks |last2=Okrostsvaridze |first2=Avtandil |last3=Koiava |first3=Kakhaber |last4=Maisadze |first4=Ferando |date=2020-12-12 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-030-62966-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.101languages.net/georgian/writing_system.html|title=Georgian Alphabet|publisher=101languages.net|access-date=30 October 2012|archive-date=28 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028171137/http://www.101languages.net/georgian/writing_system.html}}</ref>

=== Media ===
{{Main|Mass media in Georgia (country)}}

Television, magazines, and newspapers in Georgia are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, [[subscription]], and other sales-related revenues. The [[Constitution of Georgia (country)|Constitution of Georgia]] guarantees freedom of speech.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} The media environment of Georgia remains the freest and most diverse in the [[South Caucasus]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.enpi-info.eu/eastportal/news/latest/38565/Media-freedom-in-Eastern-Partnership-countries:-Georgia-tops-list,-Ukraine-improves-position|title=Media freedom in Eastern Partnership countries: Georgia tops list, Ukraine improves position|date=29 September 2014|website=enpi-info.eu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194716/http://www.enpi-info.eu/eastportal/news/latest/38565/Media-freedom-in-Eastern-Partnership-countries%3A-Georgia-tops-list%2C-Ukraine-improves-position |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> despite the long-term politicization and polarization affecting the sector. The political struggle for control over the public broadcaster has left it without a direction in 2014 too.<ref name=FH>[[Freedom House]], [https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/georgia Georgia 2015 Press Freedom report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210314/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/georgia |date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Georgia (country)}}

Georgia has an ancient musical tradition, which is primarily known for its early development of [[polyphony]]. Georgian polyphony is based on three vocal parts, a unique tuning system based on perfect fifths, and a harmonic structure rich in parallel fifths and dissonances.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} Three types of polyphony have developed in Georgia: a complex version in Svaneti, a dialogue over a bass background in the Kakheti region, and a three-part partially improvised version in western Georgia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Georgian Polyphonic Singing, "Chakrulo"|url=http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/?s=films_details&pg=33&id=1737|access-date=17 December 2016|work=UNESCO|date=2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205180055/http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/?s=films_details&pg=33&id=1737|archive-date=5 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The Georgian folk song "[[Chakrulo]]" was one of 27 musical compositions included on the [[Voyager Golden Record]]s that were sent into space on [[Voyager 2]] on 20 August 1977.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Untold Story of How "Chakrulo" Ended Up in Space|url=http://www.georgianjournal.ge/discover-georgia/28321-the-untold-story-of-how-chakrulo-ended-up-in-space.html|access-date=21 July 2016|work=Georgian Journal|date=25 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816081734/http://www.georgianjournal.ge/discover-georgia/28321-the-untold-story-of-how-chakrulo-ended-up-in-space.html|archive-date=16 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Georgian cuisine}}

[[File:Georgian cuisine banner 1.jpg|thumb|Rather than serving food in [[Course (food)|courses]], traditional ''supras'' often present all that a host has to offer.]]
[[Georgian cuisine]] and [[Georgian wine|wine]] have evolved through the centuries, adapting traditions in each era. One of the most unusual traditions of dining is [[Supra (feast)|supra]], or ''Georgian table'', which is also a way of socializing with friends and family. The head of ''supra'' is known as [[tamada]]. He also conducts the highly philosophical toasts, and makes sure that everyone is enjoying themselves. 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.<ref name="Tuskadze2017">{{cite book | author = Tiko Tuskadze | date = 13 July 2017 | title = Supra: A feast of Georgian cooking | publisher = Pavilion | isbn = 978-1-911595-45-8 | oclc = 992463647 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8FAmEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT10}}</ref>

=== Wine ===
{{Main|Georgian wine}}

[[File:Mildiani mukuzaki.Jpg|thumb|upright|A glass of [[Mukuzani]]. Wine-making is a traditional component of the Georgian economy.]]

Georgia is [[History of wine|one of the oldest wine-producing countries]] in the world. Archaeology indicates that fertile valleys and slopes in and around Georgia have been home to [[grapevine]] cultivation and [[neolithic]] wine production ({{lang-ka|ღვინო}}, ''ɣvino'') for millennia.<ref name="Vinologue">{{citation |author=Miquel Hudin |author2=Daria Kholodolina|title=Georgia: A guide to the cradle of wine |url=http://www.vinologue.com/books/georgia/ |page=300|year=2017|publisher=[[Vinologue]]|isbn=978-1-941598-05-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Traditional winemaking in Georgia – the oldest wine in the world |date=3 February 2014 |website=cycloscope |url=http://cycloscope.weebly.com/blog/traditional-winemaking-in-georgia-the-oldest-wine-in-the-world |access-date=2015-04-15  |archive-date=2015-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709015015/http://cycloscope.weebly.com/blog/traditional-winemaking-in-georgia-the-oldest-wine-in-the-world}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Unearthing Georgia's wine heritage |first=Ivan |last=Watson |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/20/georgia.wine.heritage/ |access-date=21 February 2018 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=29 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100429114827/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/20/georgia.wine.heritage/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{sfnp|Spilling|Wong|2008|p=128}} Local traditions associated with wine are entwined with its national identity.<ref name="Vinologue" /> In 2013, [[UNESCO]] added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the [[Kvevri]] clay jars to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.<ref name="Vinologue" /><ref name="ich.unesco.org">{{Cite web|title=UNESCO – Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists|access-date=2019-09-09 |website=ich.unesco.org}}</ref>

Georgia's moderate climate and moist air, influenced by the [[Black Sea]], provide the best conditions for vine cultivation. 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. This method of cultivation is called ''maglari''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Georgian feast: the vibrant culture and savory food of the Republic of Georgia |last1= Goldstein |first1= Darra |year=1958 |publisher= University of California Press |location= US|isbn= 0-520-21929-5 |page=4 }}</ref> Among the best-known Georgian wine regions are [[Kakheti]] (further divided into the micro-regions of [[Telavi]] and [[Kvareli]]), [[Kartli]], [[Imereti]], [[Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti]], [[Adjara]] and Abkhazia.

Georgian wine has been a contentious issue in recent relationships with Russia. [[Georgia–Russia relations|Political tensions with Russia]] have contributed to the 2006 [[2006 Russian ban of Moldovan and Georgian wines|Russian embargo]] of Georgian wine, Russia claimed Georgia produced [[counterfeit]] wine. It was an "official" reason, but the instability of economic relations with Russia is well known, as they use the economic ties for political purposes.<ref name="rferl 1076202">{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1076202.html|title=Position Unchanged On Russian WTO Negotiations|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=2 February 2012 |access-date=21 February 2018}}</ref> Counterfeiting problems stem from mislabelling by foreign producers and falsified "Georgian Wine" labels on wines produced outside of Georgia and imported into Russia under the auspices of being Georgian produced.<ref name="rferl 1076202" /> The shipment of counterfeit wine has been primarily channelled through [[Government of Russia|Russian]] managed customs checkpoints in Russian-occupied Georgian territories Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where no inspection and regulation occurs.<ref name="rferl 1076202" />

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Georgia (country)}}

[[File:Georgia-Italy Rugby match.jpg|thumb|[[Georgia national rugby union team|Georgia]] playing [[Italy national rugby union team|Italy]] at rugby in the [[Adjarabet Arena]] in Batumi]]
The most popular sports in Georgia are [[association football|football]], basketball, [[rugby union]], [[wrestling]], judo, and [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifting]]. Rugby is considered Georgia's national sport.<ref>[https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/news/444784 Claude Saurel: "Georgia's rugby revolution is only just starting"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006084323/https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/news/444784 |date=6 October 2021 }}, [[Rugby World Cup]], 30 August 2019</ref> Historically, Georgia has been famous for its physical education; the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] were fascinated with Georgians' physical qualities after seeing the training techniques of ancient [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Iberia]].<ref>Romans erected the statue of the Iberian King Pharsman after he demonstrated Georgian training methods during his visit to Rome; [[Cassius Dio]], ''Roman History'', LXIX, 15.3</ref> Wrestling remains a historically important sport of Georgia, and some historians think that the [[Greco-Roman wrestling|Greco-Roman style of wrestling]] incorporates many Georgian elements.<ref>Williams, Douglas. ''Georgia in my Heart'', 1999.</ref>

Within Georgia, one of the most popularized styles of wrestling is the Kakhetian style. There were a number of other styles in the past that are not as widely used today. For example, the [[Khevsureti]] region of Georgia has three styles of wrestling. Other popular sports in 19th century Georgia were [[polo]], and [[Lelo burti|Lelo]], a traditional Georgian game very similar to [[rugby football|rugby]].<ref name=Completerugby>Bath, Richard (ed.) ''The Complete Book of Rugby'' (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 {{ISBN|1-86200-013-1}}) p67</ref>

The first and only race circuit in the Caucasian region is located in Georgia. [[Rustavi International Motorpark]] originally built in 1978, was re-opened in 2012 after total reconstruction<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=45318&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth=0 |title=Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company |publisher=Rustavi2.com |date=29 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501161314/http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=45318&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth=0 |archive-date=1 May 2013 }}</ref> costing $20&nbsp;million. The track satisfies the [[FIA]] Grade 2 requirements and currently hosts the [[Legends car racing]] series and Formula Alfa competitions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1tv.ge/news-view/37425/en |title=Georgian National Broadcaster |publisher=1tv.ge |date=30 April 2012 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic|fix-attempted=yes}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Basketball was always one of the notable sports in Georgia, and Georgia had a few very famous [[Soviet Union national basketball team|Soviet Union national team]] members, such as [[Otar Korkia]], [[Mikheil Korkia]], [[Zurab Sakandelidze]] and [[Levan Moseshvili]]. [[BC Dinamo Tbilisi|Dinamo Tbilisi]] won the prestigious [[EuroLeague]] competition in [[1961–62 FIBA European Champions Cup|1962]]. Georgia has had five players in the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]: [[Vladimir Stepania]], [[Jake Tsakalidis]], [[Nikoloz Tskitishvili]], [[Tornike Shengelia]] and former [[Golden State Warriors]] centre [[Zaza Pachulia]]. Other notable basketball players include the two time EuroLeague champion [[Giorgi Shermadini]] and EuroLeague players [[Manuchar Markoishvili]] and [[Viktor Sanikidze]]. The sport is regaining its popularity in the country recently, and the [[Georgia national basketball team]] has qualified for the [[EuroBasket]] tournament five consecutive times since its first appearance in 2011.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

There are a number of world-class Georgian MMA fighters. [[Ilia Topuria]], [[Merab Dvalishvili]], [[Giga Chikadze]] and [[Roman Dolidze]] are highly ranked fighters currently signed with the [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]].

Georgian athletes have won a total of 40 Olympic medals, mostly in wrestling, judo and weightlifting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.olympedia.org/countries/GEO|title=Olympedia – Georgia (GEO)|website=[[Olympedia]]}}</ref> Competitive bodybuilding sanctioned by the European [[International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness|IFBB]] is also popular in the country.<ref>{{cite web | last=Grech | first=Kevin | title=Photos & Results: 2022 IFBB Georgia Grand Prix | website=Evolution of Bodybuilding | date=18 June 2022 | url=https://www.evolutionofbodybuilding.net/photos-results-2022-ifbb-georgia-grand-prix/ | access-date=28 August 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Outline of Georgia (country)]]
{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist|group=n}}

== References ==
{{Duplicated citations|reason=DuplicateReferences script detected:
* https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april (refs: 11, 12, 13, 14)
* https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41977709 (refs: 21, 55)
* https://hrw.org/reports/1996/Russia.htm (refs: 117, 340)
* http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/GEO.pdf (refs: 293, 294)
|date=August 2026}}

{{reflist}}

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{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Georgia (country)}}

=== Government ===
* [https://www.gov.ge/ Government of Georgia official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618115644/https://www.gov.ge/ |date=18 June 2024 }} (in Georgian)
* [https://www.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG Government of Georgia official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226180749/https://www.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG |date=26 December 2023 }} (in English)
* [https://mfa.gov.ge/ Official website] of the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia]]
* [https://gnta.ge/ Official website] of the Georgian National Tourism Administration
* [https://www.amcham.ge/ Official website] of the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia

=== General information ===
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Georgia | volume= 11 |last= Bealby |first=John Thomas | pages = 758–761 |short=1}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080607040102/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/georgia.htm Georgia] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17301647 Georgia profile] from the [[BBC News]]
* {{Wikiatlas|Georgia}}
* {{OSM relation|28699}}
* [http://amsi.ge/ Association of Modern Scientific Investigation – (AMSI)]

=== News media ===
* [http://civil.ge/ Civil Georgia, daily news about Georgia]

{{Georgia (country) topics}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia Country}}
[[Category:Georgia (country)| ]]
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