Georgia: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Georgia

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. It has snowy mountains, green valleys, rainforests and sunny vineyards. It is known for its ancient winemaking, its singing and its own unique alphabet.

About Tbilisi

Tbilisi stretches along both banks of the Kura (Mtkvari) River, below the old Narikala fortress. Its name comes from an Old Georgian word for 'warm', after the hot sulphur springs still used in its bathhouses.

Fun facts about Georgia

1. Some of the earliest known winemaking sites in the world, from about 6000 BC, are in Georgia.
2. Georgians make wine in qvevri, large clay jars buried in the ground, a tradition on UNESCO's heritage list.
3. Georgian is written in its own alphabet, and the modern script, called Mkhedruli, has 33 letters.
4. The Georgian folk song 'Chakrulo' was sent into space in 1977 on the Voyager Golden Record.
5. Ushguli, a group of mountain villages about 2,100 metres up in Svaneti, is famous for its medieval stone towers.
6. Mount Shkhara, at about 5,193 metres in the Greater Caucasus, is the highest point in Georgia.