2 Freedom Square, Tbilisi, Georgia

About Georgia

Should I go or not to Georgia? Definitely yes! At least once.

Next - either you will love this country with all your heart, or you will not understand. This is not sleek Türkiye, this is not combed Mediterranean. Georgia is hospitality, it is sea and mountains, it is gentle sun, it is architecture, traditions, it is…. breathtaking! Ours are distinguished by high-quality service and reasonable prices.

Georgia is, first of all, people. Adequate, hospitable, welcoming.

Come and discover this amazing country!

General information and interesting facts about Georgia

The capital is Tbilisi. The total population is about 4.5 million. The capital is home to about 1.5 million people. National groups - Georgians (83.7%), Azerbaijanis (6.5%), Armenians (5.7%), Russians (1.5%), Ossetians (0.9%), Kurds and Yezidis (0.5 %), Greeks (0.3%), Chechens and Kists (0.2%), Ukrainians (0.2%), Assyrians, Avars, Abkhazians and others.

Language

Official official language- Georgian. People over 30 understand and speak Russian almost everything. Young people speak Russian less well, but speak English fluently. If you speak even a little Russian and English, you will not be lost. But just in case, use the short one.

Religion

Georgians profess Orthodox Christianity. Georgia is one of the first countries to accept Christianity in general. Georgians are quite religious in general, but not fanatical. There is a square in Tbilisi, which is also called the Square of Five Churches - located on one heel orthodox temple, armenian church, Catholic Cathedral, Synagogue and Mosque.

Georgians treat other religions with respect. There are quite a lot of Muslims here. Some Abkhazians, as well as Georgians in the southern and southwestern regions (Adjara, etc.) profess Sunni Islam. Azerbaijanis, Assyrians and Kurds are also Muslims. Armenians, Greeks and Russians have their own Orthodox churches. Also in Georgia there is no big number Catholics.

About money in Georgia

The official currency of Georgia is Lari (GEL) = 100 tetri.

1 GEL = $0.37 in 2018

Currency can be changed at a bank (on weekdays from 9-00 to 18-00) or at currency exchange offices. There are many of them and most of them are 24/7. You should not exchange currency by hand.

In hotels, most shops and cafes you can pay by card. But it’s still worth having cash with you.

Geography

Georgia is a mountainous country, located in the central and western part of Transcaucasia. The area of Georgia is 69,700 km². The state borders on Russia in the north, Azerbaijan in the east, and Armenia and Turkey in the south.

The Black Sea coast of Georgia has a length of 308 km and is devoid of any significant bays, islands or peninsulas. In the north of Georgia there is the Greater Caucasus Range (highest points - the city of Shkhara, 5068 m; the city of Kazbek - 5033 m). In the south is the Lesser Caucasus ridge, between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus ridges are the Colchis Lowland and the Kartli Plain, and in the east is the Alazani Plain.

The main rivers are Kura, Rioni; lakes - Paleostomi, Aletkel, Paravani. About 2/5 of the territory is occupied by forests.

Climate of Georgia

In the west - subtropical, in the east - transitional from subtropical to temperate. The average temperature in January is from +3 to +9 C, but in mountainous areas it can drop to -16-20 C. During the long summer the weather is mostly hot, and average temperature in August it is +23 C - +26 C almost throughout the entire territory of Georgia.

There is much more precipitation in Western Georgia than in Eastern Georgia. Snow falls mainly in mountainous areas in November and does not melt until the end of spring. The climate of Georgia is favorable for year-round recreation and treatment; nature pampers with a constant abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, which is especially important for visiting residents of the northern regions and areas with poor ecology.

Helpful information

Georgians are very hospitable and always ready to help. If you have any questions, feel free to ask passers-by. But there are some that are worth considering.

Smoking is not prohibited - almost everyone smokes everywhere in Georgia. In the summer of 2017, a law restricting smoking in public places came into force.

Rules traffic If they don’t comply, cross the road carefully. There are practically no accidents.

80 interesting facts about Georgia! 1. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi 2. The ancient capital of Georgia is Mtskheta 3. The first Georgian Democratic Republic was founded in 1918. 4. The first king of united Georgia was Pharnavaz, in the 3rd century BC. 5. The oldest thread was found in Georgia, it is approximately 34 thousand years old. 6. The world's oldest gold mines were found in Georgia. 7. The first Europeans came from Georgia. The most ancient look people who lived in Europe. This species of people was called Homo Georgicus. 8. The founder of American ballet, and modern ballet art in general, George Balanchine, came from Georgia. 9. The mother of Shah Abass the Great, the most successful Islamic ruler of Persia, was Georgian. 10. General Peter Bagrationi was a Georgian prince 11. In Georgia, the Pontic king Mithridates was hiding from the Roman commander Pompey. 12. The apostles Andrew and Simon preached in Georgia. 13. Jews have lived in Georgia for 2600 years. 14. Georgia was one of the last countries to join the CIS, and one of the first to leave the CIS. 15. Georgia had one Catholic monarch - George XI. 16. One of the death masks Emperor Napoleon. 17. The flag of Georgia is similar to the flag of the first King of Jerusalem, Godfrey of Bouillon, and the coat of arms of Jerusalem during the Crusader times. 18. Byron visited Georgia at one time. 19. The first representative of “Romanticism” in Georgia was David Guramishvili. 20. Griboyedov wrote his comedy “Woe from Wit” in Georgia.. 21. In the Orthodox world, Georgia is considered the Destiny of the Mother of God 22. The Kartvelian languages have no related languages. 23. The highest point of Georgia, mountain peak Shkhara, 5.068 m 24. Among the Orthodox, only the Georgian patriarch has the title of “Catholicos”. 25. Georgia and Spain used to be called the same: Iberia. 26. Prometheus is the prototype of the Georgian mythological hero Amirani, who according to legend was chained to Mount Khvamli 27. At a time when Georgia was part of the Russian Empire, the king of western Georgia Solomon asked Napoleon for help from Russia. 28. In the Georgian SSR there was the only “Monkey nursery” in the USSR, where experiments were carried out on crossing humans and monkeys. 29. The first serious nuclear research of the USSR was carried out in the Georgian SSR. 30. Ho Chi Minh, visited the Georgian SSR and planted a tree 31. Sumo wrestler from Georgia, Levan Tsaguriya - the first European sekitori. The 13th foreigner to achieve the right to compete in Makuuchi. 32. Singer from Georgia Keti Melua in 2006 became the best-selling singer in the UK and Europe. And on October 2, 2006, Melua entered the Guinness Book of Records for performing the deepest-sea concert - 303 meters below sea level on Statoil's Troll A Platform in the North Sea. 33. By ancient Greek myths The legendary Argonauts, led by Jason, went to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece. 34. Mayakovsky was born and raised in Georgia. 35. Born in Kyiv, but raised and spent teenage years in Georgia, where his mother, politician Yevgeny Primakov, lived. 36. The last battle in Europe during World War II, or the “Georgian Uprising on Texel Island,” was between the Georgians and the Germans. 37. Georgia in Georgian - Sakartvelo, and Russian word"Georgia" comes from the Perso-Arabic "Gurjistan", which translates as "land of wolves". 38. The great-nephew of Napoleon, and the grandson of Joachim Murat, married the Georgian princess Dadiani. 39. Georgian princess Mary Shervashidze was an exclusive model for Coco Chanel. 40. Great Georgian writer Shota Rustaveli was a Neoplatonist. 41. Georgian prince Dmitry Amilakhvari became an officer in the French army, lieutenant colonel of the Foreign Legion, and a hero of the French Resistance.42. Tbilisi was an Arab city-state for 400 years, and was called the “Tbilisi Emirate”. 43. Heavenly patron Tbilisi, Arab martyr named Abo. 44. The wife of the Iconian Sultan Giyas ad-Din Kai-Khusrau II was a Georgian princess named Gurji Khatun. 45. The relics of the Georgian great martyr Ketevan are kept in the Vatican. 46. In 1976, the American space agency NASA sent the Georgian song “Chakrulo” into space as a sample musical abilities humanity. 47. Georgian dolmens are older than the Egyptian pyramids. 48. In the Middle Ages, there were trading posts of the Italian republics in Georgia. 49. The wife of the famous Italian traveler and writer, Pietro Della Valle, was Georgian. 50. The famous Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni, in the 18th century, wrote his tragicomedy “La bella giorgiana” “The Beautiful Georgian” 51. The Roman Emperor Anthony Pius erected an equestrian statue in Rome of the Georgian king Farsman II. 52. Famous composer Aram Khachaturian was born and raised in Georgia. 53. Parents French singer, Armenian origin Charles Aznavour were from Georgia. 54. A group of Georgian horsemen in the 19th century joined the famous Buffalo Bill Theater and toured with him around the world. 55. Georgia became the first country in the post-Soviet space to be visited by the Pope in 1999, and the Vatican's chief vicar is married to Georgian Ketevan Barationi. 56. In Georgia there is the shortest river - Reprua and the longest deep cave in the world - Voronya. 57. The daughter of George VIII was betrothed to the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI and killed during the siege of Constantinople in 1453. 58. One of the Wehrmacht units was the “Georgian Legion”, in which Georgians had the right to wear an iron cross. 59. The first person to hoist the Victory Banner on the roof of the German Reichstag was the Georgian Meliton Kantaria. 60. Everyone knows that Stalin was a generalissimo, but the first generalissimo was also the Georgian Grigory Bakurianidze. 61. Grigory Bakurianidze founded the Georgian monastery “Petritsoni” in Bulgaria, which still operates today. 62. The founder of the first Georgian monastery in Jerusalem (488) was Peter the Iverian, who is considered the possible author of “Areopatyg” 63. After the fall of Constantinople, of all the Orthodox Churches, only the Georgian and Russian Orthodox Church remained outside the Islamic occupation. 64. The founder of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Anthony of Pechora, was tonsured a monk by the Georgian monk George Svyatogorets on Athos. 65. Everyone knows about Colchis, everyone knows about Iberia, but not everyone knows about the ancient Georgian state - Diaokha. 66. Most known forger Tsarist Russia(and stories ancient Rus') was a Georgian Sulakadzev, he also owns a manuscript about the flight of clerk Kryakutny to hot-air balloon, who allegedly made the first hot air balloon flight in history. 67. The most famous marriage swindlers in Europe were representatives of the Georgian Mdivani family; among the victims were such celebrities as actress Paola Negri, Barbara Houghton, Salvador Dali’s friend Jose Maria Sert, American actress May Murray and Arthur Conan Doyle's son Denis. 68. Famous writer and a journalist from Tsarist Russia, Pyotr Shalikov, was a Georgian. 69. American General Georgian origin John Shalikashvili is a representative of the same princely family as the Russian sentimentalist writer P. I. Shalikov. 70. Sukhumi Botanical Garden - one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Caucasus, was founded in 1838. In it, for the first time in Europe, the plant Victoria regia 71 was brought into the air. Not everyone knows that the Caucasus for Russia was conquered by the Georgian prince Tsitsianov. 72. Not everyone knows that the Soviet people's actress Anastasia Vertinskaya is Georgian by mother. 73. In the Second World War, Georgians died more than anyone else in percentage terms. 74. Not everyone knows that in 1303 Georgian troops under the leadership of Vakhtang III took Jerusalem. 75. The Georgian language has a 20-digit counting system. In order to say a number between 20 and 100, you need to divide it into twenties and say the number of twenties and the remainder. For example, 30 is “twenty”, 73 is “thirty-twenty-thirteen”. The Basques and the Mayans have the same system. 76. There are three Georgian alphabets. 77. In the Georgian language there is a word in which there are 8 consonants in a row: გვფრცქვნის (gvprtskvnis) 78. The first husband of the Georgian queen Tamar, was the grandson of Yuri Dolgoruky. 79. Sultan of Egypt, who liberated the country from influence Ottoman Empire, was a Mamluk of Georgian origin Ali Bey el-Kebir. 80. Georgia is the birthplace of winemaking, which originated here for the first time several thousand years BC. And the word “wine” comes from the Georgian “ghvino” And in general, Georgia is a wonderful country!

Lively, bright, hospitable and sincere - this is how millions of tourists remember Georgia, but few people really know about amazing facts associated with this country.

If, after reading this article, you have a desire to visit this beautiful country, do not forget to contact the directory of enterprises and organizations of the country, where you can familiarize yourself with the price list for the services of these enterprises.

1. Sakartvelo - this is what Georgians call their country. This word comes from the name of the people who lived in the territory present Georgia- Kartvelians. The word "Georgia" came into the Russian language in the 17th-18th centuries, from the Arabic "Gurdzhistan". English-speaking people call Georgia "Georgia", which is why foreigners often confuse Georgia with the same name American state.

2. The remains of the first representatives of the human race were found on the territory of Georgia. They were discovered in 1991 in Dmanisi. The remains have been proven to be approximately 1.77 million years old. The ancient people were given the names Zezva and Mzia.

3. Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. Archaeologists have confirmed that already eight thousand years ago vineyards were cultivated here and wine was produced. Today, thousands of different grape varieties are cultivated in Georgia; approximately 500 species out of four thousand grape varieties known throughout the world have Georgian roots. In 2013, according to UNESCO, the Georgian method of aging wine in qvevri (clay jugs) was included in the list of untouchables. cultural heritage humanity.

4. In the Orthodox world, Georgia is considered the Destination of the Mother of God - a land that is under special protection Mother of God. The patron saint of the country is St. George, and the Robe of the Lord is kept in the ancient capital of Georgia - Mtskheta (not far from Tbilisi).

6. The unique Georgian language is distinguished not only by its unusual beauty, but also by its complexity - pronunciation of a number of words can become a real test for many.

So, in the Georgian language there are words with eight consonants in a row - for example?????????? ("gvprtskvnis"). But this is not a “ceiling” - in the famous Georgian work “The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin” a word with 11 consonants in a row is used - ???????????????? and it sounds “vephvtmbrdgvneli”.

7. The commune of Ushguli at an altitude of 2086-2200 meters above sea level is recognized as the highest continuously locality Europe. And the highest point in Georgia, the Shkhara mountain peak, is 5,068 meters.

8. Georgia is among the top ten safest countries in the world according to the Crime Index for Country 2016. The Telegraph included Georgia in the Top 10 countries with developing tourism, and in terms of ease of doing business, Georgia ranks fourth in Europe.

9. The international press calls Georgians “the eighth wonder of the world.” national dances. Their specialty is the "toe point" technique - dancing on the tips of the toes in special leather shoes.

10. And finally - the most delicious thing. Georgian cuisine is considered one of the best in the world. There are more than 250 types of cheeses here.

Georgia is an amazing country. No wonder the famous Georgian song “Tbilisso” says that such beauties cannot be found in other parts of the world. As soon as people find themselves in this country of sun, mountains and hospitable people, they fall in love with it once and for all.

Georgia is a country of legends and interesting traditions. We will tell you about the most interesting traditions and facts about Georgia in this article.

1. Sakartvelo - this is what Georgians call their country. This word comes from the name of the people who lived on the territory of present-day Georgia - the Kartvels. The word “Georgia” came into our language in the 17th-18th centuries from the Arabic “Gurjistan”.

2. B Ancient world Georgia and Spain were called the same - Iberia. And the language of the Basques (the people living in Spain) is very similar to Georgian. Now English name Georgia - Georgia is often confused with the name of the state of the same name in the USA.

3. Georgia adopted Christianity much earlier than Kievan Rus. Back in 319. Today, 88.6% of the population of Georgia professes Christianity, most of them are adherents of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

4. In the Georgian language there is no stress as such, only the tone rises on a certain syllable. Also in Georgian there are no capital letters, there is no masculine and feminine gender (it is determined by context). Before you pronounce a Georgian word, make sure it sounds correctly. After all, you can find yourself in a funny situation when one wrong sound radically changes the meaning of the word. For example, many tourists pronounce the name of the city “Gori” so that it turns out to be “pig”.

5. In the Georgian language, the decimal system is used for naming numbers. To pronounce a number between 20 and 100, you need to divide it into twenties and say their number and remainder. For example: 33 is twenty-thirteen, and 78 is three-twenty-eighteen.

6. Do not enter Georgian churches in shorts, with your head uncovered and your shoulders bare. If you stop by on an excursion to the temple on the way from or to the beach, be prepared for the fact that you will not be allowed into the shrine. Moreover, if you do come in, you may be kicked out with screams. In Georgia, this is very strict, and Georgians respect their traditions.

7. Georgians are open people. They love to sing loudly, have fun, and talk loudly on the streets. But what it’s better not to talk about loudly on the streets is “thieves in law.” The fact is that since 2004, Georgia has declared war on “thieves in law.” Georgian law enforcement officers took into account the fact that, according to the “thieves’ code,” a “thief in law” could not deny his title. Therefore, in Georgia they introduced the following rule: if a person publicly admitted that he was a “thief in law”, he would be sent to jail for 10 years.

8. The remains of the first representatives of the human race were found on the territory of Georgia. They were discovered in 1991 in Dmanisi and date back to approximately 1 million 770 thousand years ago. They were given the names Zezva and Mzia.

9. In Tbilisi it is better to speak Russian or the worst English, but in no case broken Georgian. However, it is worth knowing that Russian is spoken mainly by people of the older generation in Georgia. Russian is unpopular among young people and has very limited use. In the mountains no one owns it at all. Now in the country English language claims to become the second official one in Georgia; children learn it in schools from the first grade.

10. Time in Georgia is 2 hours ahead of Kiev in winter, and 1 hour in summer.

11. If you have drunk a lot while visiting and do not want to get behind the wheel of your car, then calmly call the police patrol, warning in advance that you do not want to create emergency situations on the road. In gratitude for this behavior, the police will take you and the car to your home. And it's all absolutely free.

12. In Georgian high-rise buildings, elevators with payment or a personal key are very often found. Elevators with payment - to go up, you need to put a certain number of coins into the mechanism. The descent is free.

13. One of the attractions of Georgia is the laundry hanging from everywhere, which Georgians place not on the balcony, but outside it.

14. Not all houses in Georgia have central heating. In villages and small towns, people warm themselves using stoves.

15. Georgians do not take off their street shoes when visiting. If you do this, Georgians may take such a gesture as disrespect for the owners. It's even worse if you ask for room slippers.

16. Main man during a feast in Georgia - toastmaster. According to custom, this is either the host himself, or he chooses a toastmaster from among the guests (a respected person). Please note that you cannot interrupt the toastmaster, his word is law!

17. Toasts in Georgia are sacred. No one has the right to drink a glass of wine unless a toast is made in turn by all the people (seniors) who are participating in the feast.

18. If you see Georgians eating meat with their hands, know that this is not due to bad upbringing and bad manners. In this country, shish kebab is eaten with hands, as if savoring it. This also applies to national dish khinkali. By eating them with cutlery, you risk not only looking stupid, but also, piercing the khinkali with a fork, losing the very essence of this dish.

Khinkali - a popular dish in Georgia

19. Required attribute Georgian feast is a plate of greens on the table. Cilantro, basil, tarragon, green onions- this is what Georgians love to eat with meat.

20. Family is sacred for a Georgian! They treat their parents and friends very carefully. And the father's word is the law.

21. In some regions of Georgia, the tradition of kidnapping brides has been preserved. This is only done at the mutual desire of the bride and groom.

21. Storage of weapons is allowed in Georgia.

23. In Georgia, it is impossible to refuse to come to a wedding, since this is a great offense for the inviting party, and it happens that this is where the long-term feud between two families begins.

24. Georgians have very interesting tradition- all women would like her. All relatives of the groom must present the bride with gold. And God forbid, someone forgets to do this.

25. Georgia is called the birthplace of wine: it is here that the oldest remains of wine jugs and grapevines were found.