Skip to main content

Some interesting facts about Georgia

Always eager to educate as well as persuade, Oregon Elephant has dug up the following interesting facts about Georgia:

  • The highest point in Georgia is Mount Shkhara (5,201 m).
  • It is known that people inhabited Georgia from very early times. Skulls of early man have been found in the country dating back 1.7 million years.
  • People have lived in Tbilisi since the fourth millennium BC.
  • The name of the present-day capital, Tbilisi, is derived from the Georgian word for warm.
  • In Greek and Roman times the western part of Georgia was called Kolkheti (Colchis); the eastern part of the country was known as Iberia.
  • Ancient myth says that the King of Colchis (Aeetes) possessed a Golden Fleece. The story of Jason and the Argonauts is about the quest for the fleece.
  • Early Georgian merchants sailed as far as the Indian Ocean to trade their goods and bring back spices.
  • The Silk Road, the trade route between Europe and China, ran through Phazisi.
  • St Nino of Cappadoccia, a relative of St George, converted King Marian III to Christianity around 330 AD.
  • The Bagrationi family ruled Georgia at the beginning of the ninth century and continued to rule a part of the country until the beginning of the nineteenth century.
  • In the eleventh century King David, known as the Builder, invited scholars to study and teach at Gelati Monastery.
  • The reign of Queen Tamar (1184-1213) is known as a golden age of Georgian history. During her reign the country prospered and culture flourished.
  • Perhaps the most famous Georgian was Josif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, popularly known as Josef Stalin or man of steel. Born in 1879, Stalin became the second leader of the USSR (after Lenin). Stalin led the USSR until his death in 1953.
  • Georgia gained its independence from the USSR at the end of 1991. (Members of the former USSR were Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Estonia - from WW2, Latvia - from WW2, Lithuania - from WW2 and Moldova - from WW2).
  • Georgia's independence was followed by a civil war and conflict in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Tskhinvali). Peacekeeping forces were deployed in both regions.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Things you didn't know about Judd Gregg

He's held all major electoral positions in New Hampshire, serving as Representative (representing the district that includes Nashua) from 1981 to 1989, Governor from 1989 t0 1993, and Senator from 1993 to the present. His father, Hugh Gregg, was Governor of New Hampshire from 1953 to 1955 Gregg stood in for John Kerry during practice sessions held by George W. Bush in preparation for the 2004 United States Presidential Election Debates. Four years earlier he had played the part of Al Gore for the same purpose. Gregg won more than $850,000 in 2005 after buying $20 worth of Powerball tickets at a Washington, D.C. convenience store. Gregg endorsed Mitt Romney in 2008, and is considered a fiscal conservative and social moderate
Post a Comment
Read more

The Problems with Palin

When it comes to the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, I'm with David Frum ...I think it's an irresponsible choice that could (will?) come back to haunt McCain. Of course, there are scurrilous charges that have no merit. Of course, there is media bias. But here are some details that are coming out that are issue-based, and much more troubling to me: She favored many earmarks as Mayor that John McCain specifically criticized (reformer? or opportunist?) She favored the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she opposed it She said in an address to her church that the Natural Gas Pipeline was a "task from God" and that people should "pray for it" (yes, it's the Huffington Post...but they have video) My take: I think it's clear she was a rash choice. I'm not at all comfortable with her as VP. I would strongly have preferred someone like Romney, Pawlenty, Cantor, even Mike Huckabee to her. I think (and I get no plea
Post a Comment
Read more

Pakistan frees A.Q. Khan...and the world's a little less safe

The New York Times has the story...A.Q. Khan, Pakistani scientist and proliferator of nuclear weapons material and technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran, has been release from house arrest by the Pakistani government. Our reaction was predictably concerned: In Washington, officials condemned the move. While it is almost inconceivable that Mr. Khan would again be actively involved in Pakistan’s nuclear program, which has created an arsenal of roughly 100 weapons, there was broad concern that he could reactivate an international black market network that was only partly dismantled. “He’s still a proliferation threat,” said Robert A. Wood, the spokesman for the State Department. “We’re very troubled by this.” Khan himself was defiant and unapologetic: Washington’s concerns were defiantly dismissed by Mr. Khan, who, beaming and smiling, was thronged by supporters and television cameras outside his residence in an affluent neighborhood upon news of his release. “Let them talk,” he said.
Post a Comment
Read more