Georgia, Georgian Sakartvelo, country of Transcaucasia located at the eastern end of the Black Sea on the southern flanks of the main crest of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. It is surrounded by Russia to the north and northeast, Azerbaijan to the east and southeast, Armenia and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the west. Georgia has three ethnic enclaves: Abkhazia, which is in the northwest and has its main city in Sokhumi; Ajaria, which is in the southwest and has its main city in Batumi; and South Ossetia, which is in the north (principal city Tskhinvali). Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia (Tiflis).
The roots of the Georgian people extend deep in history; their cultural heritage is equally ancient and rich. During the Middle Ages, Georgia was ruled by a powerful kingdom that was at its strongest between the 10th and 13th centuries. Georgia was taken over by the Russian Empire in the 19th century, after being ruled for a long time by the Turks and the Persians. Georgia was its own country from 1918 until 1921, when it became part of the Soviet Union. Georgia became a union republic in 1936, and it stayed that way until the fall of the Soviet Union. During the time that Georgia was part of the Soviet Union, the economy became more modern and varied. Georgia is one of the republics that wants independence the most. On November 19, 1989, it declared sovereignty, and on April 9, 1991, it declared independence.
The 1990s were a period of instability and civil unrest in Georgia, as the first postindependence government was overthrown and separatist movements emerged in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.