Western Asia
Wine · Mountain · Ancient
Georgia is a country located in Western Asia. Its capital city is Tbilisi, with other major cities including Kutaisi and Batumi. With a population of approximately 3.7M, the main language spoken is Georgian. The country covers an area of 69,700 km². The official currency is the lari (₾). Traffic drives on the right side.
Georgia has one of the world's oldest wine-making traditions, with evidence of viticulture dating back 8,000 years — the country uses a unique clay vessel called a qvevri, now UNESCO-listed, to ferment and age wine.
Tbilisi serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Georgia, positioned in Western Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Kutaisi, Batumi, Rustavi — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Tbilisi's Old Town of wooden balconied houses overhanging narrow gorges above the Kura River, its Persian-era baths steaming from natural hot springs, and its 5th-century Narikala fortress overlooking an extraordinary mix of Orthodox churches, synagogues, and mosques creates one of the Caucasus's most atmospheric capitals — a city that has been destroyed and rebuilt 29 times throughout its 1,500-year history.
With a population of approximately 3.7M, Georgia is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Georgian, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Georgia is reached via the dialling code +995. Georgians maintain one of the Caucasus's oldest Christian cultures — the Georgian Orthodox Church established in the 4th century AD uses an alphabet created specifically for Christianity, one of only 14 true alphabets in the world — producing a religious cultural identity that survived both Persian Zoroastrian, Ottoman Islamic, and Soviet atheist periods with its core practices intact.
Georgia spans 69,700 km², in the Western Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 42.0°N, 43.5°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.
The official currency is the lari (₾), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Georgia's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+04:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Rugby / Wrestling holds a special place in the heart of Georgia's national identity. Wrestling and rugby compete with football in Georgia's sporting identity — the Georgian rugby team's rise from obscurity to competitive European rugby in a decade represents one of international sport's most rapid national program developments, built on a warrior culture that translates naturally to the physicality of union rugby, while Georgian wrestlers have won Olympic medals since Soviet era.
The highest point in Georgia is Shkhara, rising to 5,193 metres above sea level. The Greater Caucasus range along Georgia's northern border includes Shkhara at 5,201 metres — the highest peak entirely within Georgian territory — a range of permanent glaciers, alpine meadows, and medieval defensive towers built by the Svan people in valleys so isolated that their distinct language and customs survived for millennia in conditions of near-total cultural isolation.