Georgia's Strength is in Unity Quiz

Answer: Turkey

The boundary between Europe and Asia has been drawn in various ways over time, and the countries in the region of Georgia have had their classification changed. However, the part of Turkey with which Georgia has a border is definitely considered to be the Asian part of that bi-continental nation.

There are no indisputable geographical reasons for drawing the boundary to include Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan with either Europe or Asia, so the decision is based on culture rather than geography.

Answer: Caucasus Mountains

The Caucasus region, also called Transcaucasus from the Russian naming based on the fact that the region is on the other side of the Greater Caucasus from Russia, has that mountain range as its northern boundary, with the Lesser Caucasus Range in its south.

The decision as to which continent the region belongs to depends on which of these two ranges is chosen for the division. They have been of historical importance because they are situated on important trade routes between Asian and European countries.

The picture of the Greater Caucasus range was taken in Svaneti, the province where Georgia's highest mountain (Mount Shkhara) is located.

Answer: Black Sea

The Black Sea forms the western border of Georgia. This picture shows the famed botanical garden of Batumi, capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwestern Georgia. The garden was first established in the 1880s by Andrey Nikolayevich Krasnov, a Russian botanist whose grave and memorial statue can be seen in the garden.

It was opened to the public in 1912, two years before Krasnov's death, and has since been expanded to become an important research facility. As well as its primary focus (plants of the maritime subtropical region of the Caucasus), it now has sections devoted to plants from a number of other regions, including Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, Mexico and South America.

Answer: They were declared as autonomous regions at that time

The northwest region of Abkhazia has been officially recognized as an autonomous region of Georgia, after it declared its independence from Georgia in 1999. This has had little international recognition, but the region does operate as an effectively independent republic.

The southwest region of Adjara gained de facto autonomy after Georgia's independence was declared in 1991, but it has never been officially recognized by the Georgian government.

Answer: They were Russian-occupied parts of Georgia

The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast was established as a part of the Soviet Union within the Georgian Socialist Republic in 1922. The revocation of that autonomy in 1990 led to the First South Ossetian War. The region considers itself as a breakaway republic, but its existence is not recognized by Georgia, whose administrative regions have boundaries which do not coincide with those of the self-declared republic.

In 2008, the Georgian government also declared that Abkhazia was a Russian-occupied part of Georgia, not an independent entity (despite its ongoing autonomy). Both disputed regions have been recognized by a handful of other nations, including such international political heavyweights as Tuvalu and Nauru.

Answer: St. George's Cross

The St. George's cross was the only cross on the original flag of the Georgian kingdom in the fifth century, chosen to honour St George, the patron saint of Georgia (no surprises there). The other four crosses were probably added in the early fourteenth century, during the reign of George V, nicknamed "George the Splendid".

The new design was probably intended to reflect the Crusader's Cross, which was formed from a central Greek Cross and a smaller Greek Cross in each of the four quadrants. The five crosses symbolize the traditional five wounds suffered by Jesus during his crucifixion - one in each hand or wrist, one in each foot, and one in the chest.

This medieval flag was chosen for use as a national emblem again in 2004.

Answer: Bolnisi

The basilica of Bolnisi Sioni was built between 478 and 493 CE, and is famed for its Georgian inscriptions, which are one of the oldest examples of the Georgian alphabet in use. The Georgian Orthodox Church traces its history to having been founded by Saint Andrew, and it was adopted as the official state church of Iberia (the eastern part of modern Georgia) in the early fourth century. It remains the most commonly practiced religion of Georgia, although it no longer has an official status. (The cross shown in the question actually can be seen if you visit the monastery of Jvari, near the city of Mtskheta.)

Yerevan is the capital of Armenia, Baku of Azerbaijan, and Ankara of Turkey.

Answer: Caucasian leopard

This coat of arms, which was adopted in 2004, is based on the coat of arms of the Bagrationi dynasty, who ruled in southwestern Georgia from the ninth century until the start of the nineteenth century, when Georgia became part of the Russian empire. These arms also had two rampant gold lions (standing on their hind legs) supporting a shield that has a crown on top. The shield itself was quite different. The current one features Saint George, mounted on a horse, in the act of slaying a dragon.

The national motto, "Strength is in Unity" is written on the banner underneath the shield, using the Georgian alphabet.

Answer: Tbilisi

Tiblisi is the largest city in Georgia, and its national capital. As of 2012, the western city of Kutaisi became the legislative capital, and a new Parliament building was opened there on May 26, as part of the Independence Day celebrations.

As well as visiting the tourist sites mentioned in the question, you can also take in many museums and theatres. Sameba Cathedral, also called the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, was built between 1995 and 2004. It was built to celebrate 1500 years of autocephaly (meaning that the head of the church is not seen as subservient to any higher church authority) for the Georgian Orthodox Church. It was, somewhat controversially, built on top of a former Armenian cemetery. Its architectural style is intended to reflect the varying styles used in building Georgian churches over the centuries.

Answer: Common pheasant

The word pheasant is thought to be derived from the town of Phasis, in western Georgia, in the region where the birds originated. Colchis is the old name for this part of western Georgia, hence the name 'Phasianus colchicus'. As well as having been introduced as a wild game bird to be hunted in many parts of the world, the pheasant is also bred on game farms, and local subspecies have developed. The female in the picture is less spectacularly coloured than the male, as is the case for many birds. The male has brown and gold feathers on its body, with markings of green, purple and white. Its tail, which can make up to three quarters of its total length, is black with brown streaks. The head is green, and the wattle red. Some subspecies have a white ring around the neck.

As well as being the original source of pheasants, Georgia is also thought to be at or near the original place where wine grapes were first cultivated.