Georgia

Georgia is a small country of 3.7 million inhabitants located south of the Greater Causacus range. It has an area of 70000 km² and borders the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north, Turkey and Armenia to the south and Azerbaijan to the east. The territory is to a large extent mountainous, with the tallest peaks over 5000m high (Mount Shkhara at 5068m). In the 12th and 13th century a unified kingdom existed in Georgia. This was followed by occupation by a series of foreign powers (Mongols, Ottomans, Persians). In the 19th century Georgia became part of the Russian empire. Since 1991 Georgia has been an independent country. Georgia has its own distinctive culture: its language, Georgian, is not an Indoeuropean language and Georgia has its own state church (the Georgian Orthodox church). Georgia has plenty of historical sites and beautiful sceneries, especially in the Greater Caucasus mountain range. It has a good tourist infrastructure and travelling there is relatively inexpensive. Its capital is the city of Tbilisi.