History UsefulNotes / GeorgiaEurope

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' GE

Not ''[[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaUSA that]]'' [[TheDeepSouth Georgia]] [[note]]although that line is referenced in "Back in the USSR", and it spawned a lot of jokes about Russians in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} during the 2008 invasion[[/note]]--Georgia ('''Georgian:''' საქართველო Sakartvelo, '''Russian:''' Грузия ''Gruziya'') is a former Soviet state located right smack in between Eastern UsefulNotes/{{Europe}} and Western UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}. It is situated in UsefulNotes/{{the Caucasus}} and its national capital at Tbilisi. Formerly the Georgian SSR, it became independent with the collapse of the USSR. But the history of country goes much further back. It was mentioned in Greek myths as "Kolkhis" and since then it has always been a target of many empires due to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It has been invaded by Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, Russians and basically every major forces of nearby regions. Because many of these invaders happened to be Muslim, Christianity became tightly associated with nationality, and Georgia gained the nickname "Gatekeeper of Christianity".

Not ''[[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaUSA that]]'' [[TheDeepSouth Georgia]] [[note]]although that line is referenced in "Back in the USSR", and it spawned a lot of jokes about Russians in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} during the 2008 invasion[[/note]]--Georgia ('''Georgian:''' საქართველო Sakartvelo, '''Russian:''' Грузия ''Gruziya'') is a former Soviet state located smack in between Eastern UsefulNotes/{{Europe}} and Western UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}. It is situated in UsefulNotes/{{the Caucasus}} and its national capital at Tbilisi. Formerly the Georgian SSR, it became independent with the collapse of the USSR. But the history of country goes much further back. It was mentioned in Greek myths as "Kolkhis" and since then it has always been a target of many empires due to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It has been invaded by Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, Russians and basically every major forces of nearby regions. Because many of these invaders happened to be Muslim, Christianity became tightly associated with nationality, and Georgia gained the nickname "Gatekeeper of Christianity".

Not ''[[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaUSA that]]'' [[TheDeepSouth Georgia]] [[note]]although that line is referenced in "Back in the USSR", and it spawned a lot of jokes about Russians in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} during the 2008 invasion[[/note]]-- Georgia ('''Georgian:''' საქართველო Sakartvelo, '''Russian:''' Грузия ''Gruziya'') is a Eastern European and Western Asian country and former Soviet state. It is situated in UsefulNotes/{{the Caucasus}} and its national capital at Tbilisi. Formerly the Georgian SSR, it became independent with the collapse of the USSR. But the history of country goes much further back. It was mentioned in Greek myths as "Kolkhis" and since then it has always been a target of many empires due to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It has been invaded by Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, Russians and basically every major forces of nearby regions. Because many of these invaders happened to be Muslim, Christianity became tightly associated with nationality, and Georgia gained the nickname "Gatekeeper of Christianity".

* '''Population:''' 3,716,858 (excluding Abkhazia and North Ossetia) or 4,012,104 (including Abkhazia and North Ossetia) (131st)
* '''Area:''' 69,700 sq km (26,900 sq mi) (119th)

* Lavrenti Pavles dze Beria, Stalin's right-hand man and the head of the NKVD StateSec. His brutal methods are only second to Stalin's own.

* OurElvesAreDifferent: Its sort of a gag that "Georgians are Elves" due to unique alphabet that strongly resembles Tengwar and other [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium LoTR]] Elvish scripts and exotic language [[note]]Georgian, similarly to Finnish (on which Tolkien based Quenya) is an agglutinative language with few linguistic relatives. However, unlike Finnish, Georgian uses consonants on a massive scale that...creates monstrosities listed below. Plus Finnish is at least related to UsefulNotes/{{Estonia}}n and UsefulNotes/{{Hungar|y}}ian along with a few dozen regional ethnic tongues in UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. Meanwhile, Georgian is only related to ''three'' other languages, mainly clustered in and around Georgia itself, none of which have anywhere near as many speakers as the country's main language.[[/note]]. Bonus points for being an old civilisation and most of the country being covered in forests... and being quite arrogant, looking down upon their neighbours.[[note]]Then again, being surrounded by Islamic HordesFromTheEast (they still use old Byzantine fashioned "barbarian" in Troparions during liturgies at the church, while in most other languages it is translated merely as "adversaries") tend to make you one.[[/note]]
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Resulted due to all the wars through history and proud mountain-folks nature. Even the word "Hello" in Georgian means something along the lines "may you win", while instead of "good morning" Georgians wish each other "a morning of peace".
* TheUnpronouncable: Its language permits you to stack up a ridiculous number of consonants, producing such teeth-breakers as ''mts'vane'' ("green"), ts'q'ali (water)and since Georgian is an agglutinative language (meaning that it massively uses suffixes and prefixes) it ends up creating abominations such as gvp'rtskvni ("you peal us"). In the context of Caucasian languages, though, it isn't particularly strange or unpronounceable (especially compared to the horror that is Adyghe); Caucasus is just ''that'' weird.
* VestigialEmpire: During the Middle Ages, Georgia was a strong regional power and controlled the entire area from Sinope to Ardabil. Georgian Kings even fashioned themselves as "Autocrats of all the East and the West", being Byzantine wannabes[[note]]they actually were suzerains of Empire of Trebizond.[[/note]]. Even the Mongols couldn't manage to break it, only partially subordinating its eastern and southern areas as tributaries. However, things got bad after ''eight'' invasions of Tamerlane that ruined the kingdom. And things went from bad to worse after the fall of Constantinople, which meant that they lost their natural ally and organically connected nation, Byzantium, resulting in being surrounded by hostile Muslim hordes. After nearly 300 years of bloodbath and misery, it was annexed by Russia, briefly regained independence, was annexed by ''communistic'' Russia[[note]]a large portion of leaders of which were actually Georgian[[/note]], and again regained independence in 1991. Nowadays they are slowly regaining their regional power status, though having lands occupied by a foreign power doesn't really help.

* ''Theatre/TheCaucasianChalkCircle'' is set in the medieval Kingdom of Georgia, with frame story in modern (that is, given when it was written, 1940s Soviet-era) Georgia.

* '''Area:''' 69,700 km (26,900 sq mi) (119th)

** President: Salome Zourabichvili
** Prime Minister: Giorgi Gakharia
** Chairman of Parliament: Archil Talakvadze

Not ''[[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaUSA that]]'' [[TheDeepSouth Georgia]] [[note]]although that line is referenced in "Back in the USSR", and it spawned a lot of jokes about Russians in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} during the 2008 invasion[[/note]]-- Georgia ('''Georgian:''' საქართველო Sakartvelo, '''Russian:''' Грузия ''Gruziya'') is a Eastern European and Western Asian country and former Soviet state. It is situated in UsefulNotes/{{the Caucasus}} and its national capital at Tbilisi. Formerly the Georgian SSR, it became independent with the collapse of the USSR. But the history of country goes much further back. It was mentioned in Greek myths as "Kolkhis" and since then it has always been a target of many empires due to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It has been invaded by Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, Russians and basically every major forces of nearby regions. Mostly it was Muslim countries though, because Georgia served as a "Gatekeeper of Christianity" throughout its history, leading to the fact that Christianity was associated with nationality, it was the main difference between invaders and Georgians. Most of the time, rather than being attacked directly, enemies found more clever, indirect ways for conquest.

* Iosef Besiarionis dze Jugashvili,(which, by the way, means Iosef Besarion's son Jugashvili and was a common way to name oneself in Soviet Union) aka UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. You read that right, the most "influential" figure in symbolizing the evils of the Russian [[DirtyCommunist communists]] wasn't a Russian at all, but instead from a little country that's (ironically) bullied by the bear today. [[CulturalCringe He actually kind of hated himself for being a Georgian]] (despite treating it favorably in comparison to the other republics), and refused to speak his native Georgian [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas except with his mother]] (who didn't know any other languages). The Russian he spoke, he spoke with a thick Georgian accent for all of his life. By the way, while Stalin is universally hated everywhere else, [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead never try to speak ill of him in his homeland]] (''especially'' in his hometown, Gori).

* Iosef Besiarionis dze Jugashvili,(which, by the way, means Iosef Besarion's son Jugashvili and was a common way to name oneself in Soviet Union) aka UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. You read that right, the most "influential" figure in symbolizing the evils of the Russian [[DirtyCommunist communists]] wasn't a Russian at all, but instead from a little country that's (ironically) bullied by the bear today. [[CulturalCringe He actually kind of hated himself for being a Georgian]] (despite treating it favorably in comparison to the other republics), and refused to speak his native Georgian [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas except with his mother]] (who didn't know any other languages). By the way, while Stalin is universally hated everywhere else, [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead never try to speak ill of him in his homeland]] (''especially'' in his hometown, Gori).

* 1964 Soviet film ''Film/FatherOfASoldier'' is about an elderly Georgian farmer who leaves his village to find his son, a tankist serving with the Red Army on the Eastern Front of World War II.

----

Not ''[[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaUSA that]]'' [[TheDeepSouth Georgia]] [[note]]although that line is referenced in "Back in the USSR", and it spawned a lot of jokes about Russians in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} during the 2008 invasion[[/note]]-- Georgia ('''Georgian:''' საქართველო Sakartvelo, '''Russian:''' Грузия ''Gruziya'') is a Eastern European and Western Asian country and former Soviet state with its national capital at Tbilisi. Formerly the Georgian SSR, it became independent with the collapse of the USSR. But the history of country goes much further back. It was mentioned in Greek myths as "Kolkhis" and since then it has always been a target of many empires due to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It has been invaded by Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, Russians and basically every major forces of nearby regions. Mostly it was Muslim countries though, because Georgia served as a "Gatekeeper of Christianity" throughout its history, leading to the fact that Christianity was associated with nationality, it was the main difference between invaders and Georgians. Most of the time, rather than being attacked directly, enemies found more clever, indirect ways for conquest.

* The five first missions of the first game in the ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'' series (released in 2001) take place in Georgia (and the rest takes place in other former Soviet Republics). The country has been invaded by Russian ultranationalists and Ossetian separatists backed by them. A Georgian specialist, a machine-gunner named Guram Osadze, becomes available after said missions are completed. The most disturbing thing about the game is the date of its events... 2008, the same year as the RealLife war with Russia out of yet another Ossetian crisis. There's also a blatant case of ArtisticLicense regarding the apparently ''[[GratuitousRussian Russian]]'' signs in the war-torn streets of Tbilisi.

* The five first missions of the first game in the ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'' series (released in 2001) take place in Georgia (and the rest takes place in other former Soviet Republics). The country has been invaded by Russian ultranationalists and Ossetian separatists backed by them. A Georgian specialist, a machine-gunner named Guram Osadze, becomes available after said missions are completed. The most disturbing thing about the game is the date of its events... 2008, the same year as the RealLife war with Russia out of yet another Ossetian crisis. There's also a blatant case of ArtisticLicebse and GratuitousRussian regarding the signs in the war-torn streets of Tbilisi.

* The five first missions of the first game in the ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'' series (released in 2001) take place in Georgia, which has been invaded by Russian ultranationalists and Ossetian separatists backed by them (along with other former Soviet republics). A Georgian specialist, a machine-gunner named Guram Osadze, becomes available in said missions. The most disturbing thing about the game is the date of its events... 2008, the same year as the RealLife war with Russia out of yet another Ossetian crisis. There's also a blatant case of GratuitousRussian on the signs in the streets of Tbilisi, since Georgia has its own alphabet.

* The five first missions of the first game in the ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'' series take place in Georgia, which has been invaded by Russian ultranationalists and Ossetian separatists backed by them (along with other former Soviet republics). A Georgian specialist, a machine-gunner named Guram Osadze, becomes available in said missions. The most disturbing thing about the game is its date... 2008, the same year as the RealLife war with Russia out of yet another Ossetian crisis. There's also a blatant case of GratuitousRussian on the signs in the streets of Tbilisi, since Georgia has its own alphabet.

* The five first missions of the first game in the ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'' series take place in Georgia, which has been invaded by Russian ultranationalists and Ossetian separatists backed by them (along with other former Soviet republics). A Georgian specialist, a machine-gunner named Guram Osadze, becomes available in said missions. The most disturbing thing about the game is its date... 2008, the same year as the war with Russia out of yet another Ossetian crisis.

* The five first missions of first game in the ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'' series take place in Georgia, which has been invaded by Russian ultranationalists and Ossetian separatists backed by them (along with other former Soviet republics). A Georgian specialist, a machine-gunner named Guram Osadze, becomes available in said missions. The most disturbing thing about the game is its date... 2008, the same year as the war with Russia out of yet another Ossetian crisis.

* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon''

There are two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both backed by Moscow. During the Soviet period, both regions enjoyed autonomous status, which meant among other things, their own language media (such as an Abkhazian newspaper and language institute) and different representation in the Supreme Soviet. When Georgia departed from the Soviet Union, it became clear that both regions would lose their prior arrangement. A war in the early 1990s in the latter led to the mass expulsion of ethnic Georgians from that area and many deaths, with atrocities on both sides. This has led to tension between the two neighbours, culminating in [[UsefulNotes/GeorgiansWithDragunovs Georgian troops]] invading South Ossetia to "restore peace and order" in August 2008. However, due to the indiscriminate shelling by Georgian forces, they ended up killing several Russian peacekeepers in the area, as well as dozens of South Ossetian civilians. This was considered an act of war by Moscow, and led to a massive and disproportionate Russian retaliation against Georgia, also claiming Georgian atrocities against ethnic Russians in South Ossetia. However, the Russian-backed separatists have also committed atrocities, which led to around 200K-250k Georgians to flee their homes in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia ([[AndZoidberg and Nauru, Nicaragua, and Venezuela]]) have officially recognized South Ossetian and Abkhazian independence, with the West generally lining up in Georgia's corner. As a final poignant cap to this, in 2010, a major Georgian television news network broadcasted an [[Radio/TheWaroftheWorlds Orson Wells]]-style hoax stating Russia had invaded Georgia, and that the political opposition had killed the President. In October 2012, the newly elected Prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili pledged to try to mend Georgia's severely damaged relations with Russia.

One interesting thing about Georgia is that it's not clear on which continent it is. According to some sources, it's Europe, according to others - Asia (German Post, for example, considers it to be in Asia, as it costs more to send things to Asia than to Europe, but Organizations for European cooperation etc. considers it to be in Europe). Actually, the problem plagues the entire Caucasus; ordinary folks would have problems dictating which continent that neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia (the latter of which, geographically-speaking, is located ''wholly'' in Asia, but is sometimes classified as a part of Europe due to its Christian heritage) belong to. The three countries, after all, are the crossroad of the two continents and are the definitive examples of "East meets West", sharing this distinction with Turkey. This page is listed as Europe because the historic and general consensus of the Georgians themselves is that they and the country are European.[[note]]The most commonly used of the several competing Europe-Asia geographical boundary lines passes along the spine of the Caucasus range, putting most of Georgia in Asia but slivers of the north in Europe; note, however, that "most commonly used" does not mean "used by the majority" - not even close.[[/note]]

Not ''[[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaUSA that]]'' [[TheDeepSouth Georgia]] [[note]]although that line is referenced in "Back in the USSR", and it spawned a lot of jokes about Russians in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} during the 2008 invasion[[/note]]-- Georgia ('''Georgian:''' საქართველო Sakartvelo, '''Russian:''' Грузия ''Gruziya'') is a Eurasian country and former Soviet state with its national capital at Tbilisi. Formerly the Georgian SSR, it became independent with the collapse of the USSR. But the history of country goes much further back. It was mentioned in Greek myths as "Kolkhis" and since then it has always been a target of many empires due to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It has been invaded by Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, Russians and basically every major forces of nearby regions. Mostly it was Muslim countries though, because Georgia served as a "Gatekeeper of Christianity" throughout its history, leading to the fact that Christianity was associated with nationality, it was the main difference between invaders and Georgians. Most of the time, rather than being attacked directly, enemies found more clever, indirect ways for conquest.

Georgian uses a different alphabet from Russian and a VERY different language. It is (as far as we know) completely unrelated to any of the major language families, instead being part of a "South Caucasian" family more or less consisting of itself and a couple of close relatives.

Georgia is known as the homeland of wine. The first traces of winemaking were found there. Today, there are over 500 sorts of winegrapes known in Georgia. Another cultural characteristic is that Georgia is (one of the) earliest countries to develop polyphony, with three vocal parts. Yet another important characteristic is the importance of guests. An old saying is that a guest comes from God and was considered sacred. Even today, foreign guests are amazed by the love and respect the strange people show them. Due to the importance of Christianity, its elements are everywhere, most notably almost all of the old architecture consists of churches, and the flag too contains five crosses; that said, Georgia has long had a large minority of Muslims who remain to this day, although many of their number have spread across the Muslim world and assimilated there (a good number in the 19th century joined the armies of the neighboring Circassians and ended up in high places across the Arab world). All in all, the Georgian culture was always Western-oriented, but with big Eastern influences, creating a unique culture.

* Myth/ClassicalMythology features Georgia, known as "Colchis", as one of the foreign kingdoms that the the ancient Greeks sometimes visited as part of their voyages. Colchis is featured notably in ''Jason and the Argonauts'', as the location of the Golden Fleece, the goal of Jason's quest. His lover ([[UngratefulBastard whom he eventually dumped]]), Medea, was a Colchian, too.
* ''VideoGame/SplinterCell1'' concerns a PresidentEvil from Georgia invading neighboring countries and launching cyberattacks against the West. The first and last mission take place in Tbilisi.