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About Georgia
Georgia, a small country on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, has become more familiar to the western world since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Much has been written in the international media about Georgian politics, the Baku– Ceyhan oil pipeline, ethnic conflicts, competition between the US and Russia for domination in the Caucasus, the Pankisi Gorge situation and Georgia’ s economic problems. On a more positive note, the West has become more familiar with Georgia’ s ancient pre– Christian and Christian culture, its medieval churches, frescos, polyphonic music, fine arts, cuisine and other cultural attractions. Recently, much international media attention has been focused on Georgia because of its successful “Rose Revolution“ in which power was transferred peacefully in a democratic election.
The public is less familiar with Georgia’ s spectacular nature, which has the potential to attract thousands of tourists from Europe and the US, seeking unspoiled wilderness and access to rare wildlife. The country, though its total area is only 70,000 square kilometers, has extremely varied landscapes, ranging from semi– desert to humid subtropical forests. Annual precipitation varies from less than 300 to over 4000 millimeters. Traveling only few hundred kilometers, visitors can cross the wetlands of Kolkheti (Colchis), subtropical mountain forests of Achara, mountain steppe of Javakheti, pistachio savannah of Vashlovani, and high peaks of the Greater Caucasus. Georgia’ s two most famous peaks, Kazbegi and Shkhara, are higher than the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps.
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