Georgia (A Better Georgia)

Kingdom of Georgia
საქართველოს სამეფო
sakartvelos samepo
Timeline: A Better Georgia
OTL equivalent: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northeastern Turkey, parts of the North Caucasus
Kingdom of Georgia საქართველოს სამეფო; sakartvelos samepoTimeline: A Better Georgia ; OTL equivalent: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northeastern Turkey, parts of the North Caucasus
Flag	Coat of Arms
	Motto: ; ძალა ერთობაშია; Dzala ertobashia; "Strength is in Unity"
	Anthem: ; "Გაუმარჯოს მეფეს"; "Long Live the king";
	Location of Georgia (A Better Georgia)
Capital; (and largest city)	Tbilisi
Other cities	Yerevan, Baku, Kutaisi, Rustavi, etc.
Official languages	Georgian
Other languages	Armenian; Azerbaijani; Ossetian; Others...
Ethnic groups	Georgian (75%); Armenian (12%); Azeri (8%); Others (5%)
Religion	Eastern Orthodoxy (86%); Shia Islam (5%); Sunni Islam (3%); Other (6%)
Demonym(s)	Georgian
Government	Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
Legislature	Parliament
Establishment	Establishment history
Area
Population
GDP (PPP)	estimate
GDP (nominal)	estimate
Currency	Georgian lari (₾) (GEL)
Time zone	UTC+4 (Georgia Time GET)
Drives on the	right
Internet TLD	.ge

Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო, romanized: Sakartvelo, IPA: [sɑkʰɑrtʰvɛlɔ]), officially the Kingdom of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს სამეფო, romanized: sakartvelos samepo) is a transcontinental country at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is part of the Caucasus region, dominating much of it, bounded by the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east and bordering Russia to the north, Armenia to the southwest and Iran to the southeast. Its capital and largest city is Tbilisi.

It is a unitary semi-constitutional parliamentary monarchy, where the monarch exercises great constitutional powers. The royal Bagrationi Dynasty has ruled the country since the 8th century, making it one of the world's oldest royal families. The current monarch is King Heraclius III. The head of government is the prime minister, currently Salome Zurabishvili.

During the classical era, several independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia, such as Colchis and Iberia. In the early 4th century, ethnic Georgians officially adopted Christianity, which contributed to the spiritual and political unification of the early Georgian states. In the Middle Ages, the unified Kingdom of Georgia emerged and reached its Golden Age during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 12th and early 13th centuries. Thereafter, the kingdom found itself surrounded by Muslim countries and isolated from the wider Christian world and its foreign policy became one of isolationism, self-preservation and vassalage to the nearest strongest power. In 1460, it entered into an alliance, which was a de facto vassalage, to the Ottoman Empire. By the late 18th century, it began drifting towards Russia, although Georgia maintained a neutral position. While it was in an uncomfortable position, due to its geopolitical situation, Georgia managed to maintain its territorial integrity for the most part and prospered from trade with the Ottoman Empire and Europe through the Bosporus straits.

This period, known as the Silent Age of Georgia, ended in 1916 when the country declared war on the Ottoman Empire and joined the Allies in WWI. In its aftermath, Georgia military supported Kurdistan and Armenia, which emerged following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and Prince David Bagrationi became the first King of Armenia since the Middle Ages. Georgia remained largely neutral during WWII but joined NATO in its aftermath in order to defend itself from Soviet aggression. Following the discovery of vast mineral wealth and is rich in oil and natural gas, Georgia's economy received large foreign investments and became a one of the fastest growing economies of the 20th century and a regional power.