Georgia is a nation of just over four-and-a-half million people
in southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey
and Russia, with a sliver of land north of the Caucasus
extending into Europe. Its major environmental issues include: -
air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; - heavy pollution of
Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; - inadequate supplies of
potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals Georgia is
susceptible to earthquakes. The region of present day Georgia
contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The
area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D. and
Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination
by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden
age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol
invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires
competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into
the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three
years (1918-1921) following