A HISTORICAL OUTLINE OF GEORGIA

After more than a century of Russian occupation and 70 years of being a part of the Soviet Union, Georgia declared its independence in 1991. The population of Georgia is about 4,600,000, 57.8 percent of which is urban. The majority are ethnic Georgians (70.1 percent), while the large minorities are Armenians (8.1 percent), Russians (6.3 percent), and Azeris (5.7 percent) (State Department of Statistics for Georgia, 2000). Georgia adopted Christianity in the fourth century. The majority of the population belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Church. There are also significant numbers of Armenian Gregorians, Catholics, and Muslims. The state languages in Georgia are Georgian and Abkhazian (in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia). Georgian has its original alphabet, dating back to the fifth century AD or even earlier. Georgia is a presidential republic. The parliament has 235 seats, elected through a mixed-proportional and majority-voting system. Georgia strives for integration with Europe. In 1999 the country became a member of the Council of Europe.

ECOLOGICAL FEATURES

Georgia is situated to the south of the Caucasian mountains, bordering Russia in the north, Turkey and Armenia in the south, Azerbaijan in the east. Its Western part is washed by the Black sea, while the north is dominated by the high mountains of the Great Caucasus range, with some of the highest peaks above 5,000 m. The climate ranges from subtropical Mediterranean to continental.