Located in the Caucasus region, at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Georgia is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital and largest city is Tbilisi, founded in the 5th century AD by Vakhtang I Gorgasali, the monarch of the Kingdom of Iberia, on the banks of the Kura River. The country is divided into 9 regions, 1 city, and 2 autonomous republics, but de facto Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia.
It is a very mountainous country. The Likhi Range divides the country into eastern and western halves. Historically, the western portion of Georgia was known as Colchis while the eastern plateau was called Iberia. Because of a complex geographic setting, mountains also isolate the northern region of Svaneti from the rest of Georgia. The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range forms the northern border of Georgia. The highest mountain in Georgia is Mount Shkhara at 5,068 meter. Two major rivers in Georgia are the Rioni and the Mtkvari.
During the classical era, several independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia, such as Colchis and Iberia. The Georgians adopted Christianity in the early 4th century. A unified Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 12th and early 13th centuries. Thereafter, the kingdom declined and eventually disintegrated under hegemony of various regional powers, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and successive dynasties of Iran.
In the late 18th century, the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti forged an alliance with the Russian Empire, which directly annexed the kingdom in 1801 and conquered the western Kingdom of Imereti in 1810. The remaining Georgian territories were absorbed by the Russian Empire in a piecemeal fashion in the course of the 19th century. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia obtained its short-lived independence and established a republic in 1918, only to be invaded by Soviet Russia in 1921 and subsequently absorbed into the Soviet Union as the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.
A pro-independence movement led to the secession from the Soviet Union in April 1991. For most of the following decade, post-communist Georgia suffered from a civil conflicts, secessionist wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and economic crisis. Following the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia pursued a strongly pro-Western foreign policy, which strengthened state institutions. The country's Western orientation soon led to the worsening of relations with Russia, culminating in the brief Russo-Georgian War in August 2008.
The earliest evidence of wine to date has been found in Georgia, where 8000-year old wine jars were uncovered. Early metallurgy started in Georgia during the 6th millennium BC, associated with the Shulaveri-Shomu culture. Georgia has been involved also in commerce with many lands and empires since ancient times, largely due its location on the Black Sea and later on the historical Silk Road. The Georgian language is written in three unique scripts, which according to traditional accounts were invented by King Pharnavaz I of Iberia in the 3rd century BC.
Georgian architecture has been influenced by many civilizations. There are several different architectural styles for castles, towers, fortifications and churches. The Upper Svaneti fortifications, and the castle town of Shatili in Khevsureti, are some of the finest examples of medieval Georgian castle architecture.Georgian ecclesiastic art is one of the most notable aspects of Georgian Christian architecture, which combines the classical dome style with the original basilica style, forming what is known as the Georgian cross-dome style.
The flag of Georgia, also known as the Five Cross Flag, was a banner of the medieval Kingdom of Georgia, being brought back to popular use in the late 20th and early 21st centuries during periods of the Georgian national revival., and obtaining its official status in 2004. It is a white rectangle, with in its central portion a large red cross touching all four sides of the flag. In the four corners there are four bolnur-katskhuri crosses of the same colour (as the large cross).
The coat of arms of Georgia is partially based on the medieval arms of the Georgian royal house and features Saint George, the traditional patron saint of Georgia. Gules, with an image of Saint George, riding a horse trampling upon a crawling dragon, whose head is pierced by the saint's spear, all of them Argent. It has two lions rampant as supporters of the shield, which is surmounted with the royal crown of Georgia, all of them Or. The motto below the shield reads as "Strength is in Unity" (Dzala Ertobashia, written in the Mkhedruli script of the Georgian alphabet).
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of a series of 12, designed by B. Gulashvili and issued on April 15, 2013, for Europa stamps 2012, with the theme Visit...
The second stamp is one of the three designed by P. Natsvlishvili and issued on July 31, 1993, under the name The First Anniversary of Admission to UN. They are the first postage stamps of the Republic of Georgia. All the three stamps have the same image (the map and the flag of the country) in different colours.
• green (25 GEL) - It's on the postcard 3077
• brown (50 GEL)
• purple (100 GEL)
The last stamp (actually a souvenir sheet) was issued on July 22, 2015, in honor of Boris Paichadze. Boris Paichadze (1915-1990) was a Georgian footballer, who played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi. The largest stadium in Georgia is named after him. In 2001, he was voted the best Georgian football player of the 20th century.
References
Georgia (country) - Wikipedia
Sender: Michelle Ordeltová (direct swap)
Sent from Kutaisi (Georgia), on 19.05.2017
Concept by Postcardsmarket - Flags of the World series
No comments:
Post a Comment