Georgia is a country located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is part of the Caucasus region, bound by the Black Sea, with Russia. Armenia, and Azerbaijan as its neighbouring countries. Even though it is quite small, the country has a lot to offer. It boasts of ancient cities, vibrant culture, and breathtaking landscapes. It is also referred to as ‘Sakartvelo’, as Georgians call themselves Kartavelians- meaning “land where Kartavelis Live”.
The Georgian kingdom has been under the hegemony of various regional powers, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and various dynasties of Persia. It was later invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union until the country got its independence in the early 1990s. Tbilisi is the current capital and largest city. It gets its name from an old Georgian word “tbili” which means “warm”. This old town features narrow streets and a variety of architectural styles, reflecting the influences of the various empires. making it feel like a journey through time. Most of the architecture consists of churches. monasteries with fine metalwork representing the Byzantine style
Georgian is the official language spoken, which is one of the oldest languages in the world. Strongly influenced by the Greek and Persian, Georgian evolved around 5th century. The interesting fact about the language is that it does not use gender or capital letters. It has 33 alphabets, with many dialects. Other Caucasian languages are also spoken in minority.
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