5 Facts of Georgia

The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi

The country of Georgia, or The Republic of Georgia, is a small country about the size of Ireland situated in the Caucasus region. Georgia shares borders with Turkey, Armenia, Azarbaijan and Russia. Five things you might not know about Georgia are:

5 Facts You Might Not Know

1

Gori, Georgia is the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. Stalin's formal name was Joseph Vissarrionovich Jughashvilli. One of the highlights of a visit to the Stalin Museum is an exhibit containing his death mask. Gori is also home to a World Heritage Site known as Uplistsikhe, a three-thousand year old pagan temple. Georgia was one of the first areas to embrace Christianity under the leadership of St. Nino Capadoccia in the first centuryAD.

2

Evidence has been found indicating that wine making in Georgia dates back to 7000BC. Made from one of 521 types of grapes, Cognac is believed to have first been produced in Georgia. Georgia is also known for Chacha, a grape-base vodka. A popular non-alcoholic beverage is Lagidza Water made from fresh fruit and containing no sugar or chemicals. No beverages of any type may be taken out of the Georgia by tourists.

3

The Samtskhe-Javakheti area of Georgia is home to three monasteries carved out of the natural rock formations. Vardza Monastery dating back to 1135 was established by Queen Tamar. An order of monks are still reside there today. Several breathtaking frescoes may be seen at Vanis Kavbebi Monastery. Dating back to the sixth century, St. Davit Garaja, believed to have been established by St. David Garejali, contains bell towers as well as frescoes. This monastery has been the site of military maneuvers beginning with the Bolshevik Conflict of 1921. Davit Gareja has been used as a firing range as recent as 1996.

4

Always accompanied by beer, wine, vodka or lagidze, Khachapui is a flat cheese pie similar to a small pizza which may be eaten separately or as a bread with the main course. One favorite main course is Khinkali which are a spicy meat dumplings.

5

The deepest cave in the world, Voronya or Krubera-Voronia, is located in Arabika Massif, Georgia