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Georgia |
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Formerly the holiday haunt
of the privileged elite of the Soviet Union, Georgia is blessed with
stunning scenery, a balmy climate and a rich variety of flora and fauna.
Enclosed high valleys, wide basins, health spas with famous mineral
waters, caves and waterfalls combine in this land of varied landscapes
and striking beauty.
With its stone houses built around vine-draped courtyards, and winding
streets, the capital, Tbilisi, has a lively, Mediterranean atmosphere.
Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia in the far northwest of Georgia, was a
relaxed, sunny port/resort, renowned for its beaches fringed with palms
and eucalyptus trees, lively open-air cafés and cosmopolitan population,
until civil unrest began. Georgia became independent from the Soviet
Union after an overwhelming majority voted in favour of independence in
a referendum held in April 1991.
Apart from the dire state of the Georgian economy, the country's main
problems have been the secessionist revolts in the outlying Georgian
provinces of Abkhazia on the Black Sea coast (where Gamsakhurdia was
located) and South Ossetia in the north. |
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Key Facts |
Area:
69,700 sq km (26,911 sq miles).
Population:
4.9 million (2013).
Population density:
70.3 per sq km.
Capital:
Tbilisi.
Government:
Parliamentary republic. Gained independence from the Soviet
Union in 1991.
Head of state:
President Giorgi Margvelashvili since 2013.
Head of government:
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili since 2013.
Electricity:
220 volts AC, 50 Hz. European-type, two-pin plugs are used.
The supply of electricity can be intermittent between November
and March, and visitors are advised to bring a torch with them.
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