The Physical Geography of Georgia

229 Pages·2022·15.243 MB·English

by  Nana Bolashvili, Vazha Neidze

Geography of the Physical Environment
Nana Bolashvili
Vazha Neidze   Editors
The Physical
Geography
of Georgia
Geography of the Physical
Environment
TheGeographyofthePhysicalEnvironmentbookseriesprovidesaplatform
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Nana Bolashvili (cid:129) Vazha Neidze
Editors
The Physical Geography
of Georgia
123
Editors
Nana Bolashvili Vazha Neidze (Deceased)
VakhushtiBagrationi Institute of Tbilisi, Georgia
Geography
IvaneJavakhishvili TbilisiState
University
Tbilisi, Georgia
Vazha Neidze is Deceased
Aleksandre Javakhishvili isDeceased
Revaz Gagnidze is Deceased
Revaz Zhordania isDeceased
ISSN 2366-8865 ISSN 2366-8873 (electronic)
Geographyof the Physical Environment
ISBN978-3-030-90752-5 ISBN978-3-030-90753-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90753-2
TranslationfromtheGeorgianlanguageedition:“GeographyofGeorgia”byNanaBolashvili
andVazhaNeidze,©TbilisiStateUniversity,InstituteofGeographyin2013.PublishedbyTSU
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Preface
Physical environment plays decisive role in formation of the people’s indi-
viduality and way of life. Implementation of new territorial system must
servetowell-beingofpeople,revivalofeconomy,andformationofpowerful
state.
Until recently, knowledge of Georgia was limited, as this now-
independent country had been part of the Soviet Union until 1991. Geor-
gia is well-known for its hospitality, wine, and cuisine, and also for the
mountain peaks of the Caucasus which reach above 5000 m. Otherwise few
peopleknowthattherearedifferentlanguagesandethnicgroupsinGeorgia,
that a separate Georgian alphabet exists and that Georgia has a fascinating
history of more than 2000 years.
Physical Geography of Georgia presents detailed information with text
and accompanying maps for the scientists and students interested in this
country.
The scientific and cartographic depictions of Georgia by Georgian
scholars date back to the first half of the 18th century. Prince Vakhushti, a
family member of King Vahkhtang VI Bagrationi of Kartli (the core region
of Georgia), prepared a geographical description of Georgia and adjacent
territories as well as geographical atlases. Vakhushti had compiled two
manuscript atlases of Georgia, and the maps by Vakhushti evoked strong
interest in Russia and Europe. In 2013 the “Description of Georgian King-
dom”andthe“GeographicalAtlas”ofVakhushtiBagrationiwereregistered
in UNESCO’s, Memory of the World documentary program.
The current book was prepared by the Institute of Geography of Tbilisi
StateUniversity.Theinstitute,namedforVakhushtiBagrationi,wasfounded
in 1933 and has developed broad experience in carrying out research work.
The staff members of the institute have a rich experience in publishing
various monographs (complex, sectoral, academic, educational, popular
science, etc.) on the geography of Georgia. Under its guidance number of
similar publications have been prepared and published in Georgian: Geog-
raphy of Georgia (Part 1—Physycal Geography (2000), Part 2—
Social-Economic Geography (2003)), which is characterized by thoroughly
aggravated natural-ecological, political, socio-economic, and demographic
situation; Geography of Georgia (2013), which unlike the two-volume
addition mentioned above, isthefirst complexwork covered both theissues
of Physical as well as Human Geography. The monograph discusses the
v
vi Preface
geographical location, natural conditions, political-geographical, ecological,
and socio-economic situation of the country.
The current book represents a strongly revised, updated, and completed
editionoftheGeographyofGeorgia,publishedintheGeorgianlanguagein
2013.ManyscientistsofTbilisiStateUniversity(TSU)contributedwithnew
researchresults.The texts, tables, andmaps contain data from thefollowing
Georgian statistical sources: the National Statistics Office of Georgia, the
Agency of Protected Areas, and the Georgian National Tourism Adminis-
tration. The main part of the book was performed by the researchers of the
institute, but some of the paragraphs were written by the invited qualified
specialists from different fields.
The presented work will render significant assistance to the economic,
scientific, and educational fields of the country.
Tbilisi, Georgia Nana Bolashvili
Vazha Neidze
AcknowledgementsIwouldliketoexpressmygratitudetoallofthosewithwhomIhave
hadthepleasuretoworkduringthisproject.IamgratefultoMs.NinoChikhradzeforthe
translationsofseveralchapters.
Contents
1 Location, Territory, Boundaries... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
Vazha Neidze
2 Geology . .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 7
Irakli Gamkrelidze
3 Hydrogeology and Mineral Waters .... .... .... ..... .... 15
Berdo Zautashvili and Badri Mkheidze
4 Mineral Resources. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 21
Revaz Khazaradze and Elene Salukvadze
5 Relief ... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 25
Ramin Gobejishvili and Emil Tsereteli
6 Karst of Georgia .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 43
Kukuri Tsikarishvili, Zaza Lezhava, and Lasha Asanidze
7 Natural Disasters (Mudflow, Landslide, Etc.) .... ..... .... 55
Emil Tsereteli, George Gaprindashvili,
and Merab Gaprindashvili
8 Climate.. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 71
Dali Mumladze, Givi Gagua, and Nino Lomidze
9 Black Sea.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 89
Irakli Papashvili, Irakli Gelovani, George Lominadze,
and Giorgi Kavlashvili
10 Inland Waters .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 101
Vakhtang Geladze, Nana Bolashvili, Tamaz Karalashvili,
and Nino Machavariani
11 Glaciers . .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 127
Ramin Gobejishvili
12 Soils .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 133
Lia Matchavariani
13 Flora.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 141
Revaz Gagnidze
vii
viii Contents
14 Fauna... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 151
Revaz Zhordania
15 Landscapes... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 159
Dali Nikolaishvili
16 Tourism and Recreation. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 171
Nino Pavliashvili and Mzia Tutberidze
17 Protected Areas and Remarkable Features of Inorganic
Nature .. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 181
Koba Kharadze and Elene Salukvadze
18 Environment Protection . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 219
Elene Salukvadze and Mariam Tsitsagi
1
Location, Territory, Boundaries
Vazha Neidze
Abstract
1.1 Territory
In this chapter patterns of location, territory
and boundaries are discussed. Located in the Georgia is located in the border area of Europe
border area between Europe and Asia, Geor- and Asia, which is historically known as the
gia occupies the central and southern parts of “Caucasus neck”. It occupies the central and
the Southern Caucasus. Configuration of the southern parts of the Southern Caucasus. From
state’s territory has a certain importance for the point of view of mathematical-geographical
theeconomicandpoliticaldevelopmentofthe location,Georgiaissituatedbetween41°07′–43°
country. Georgia has an elongated form, the 35′ N and 40°05′–46°44′ E.
length of the diagonal which is over 600 km. HistoricallytheareaoftheterritoryofGeorgia
Except for the state border with Turkey, the hassignificantly decreased.Inthe second half of
numberofsectionsofboundarieswiththerest the seventeenth century, it was 133.1 thousand
of its neighbors (Russia, Armenia, and Azer- km2, at the end of the nineteenth century (in
baijan) are still controversial and create a 1886)—102.0 thousand km2, during the first
conflict situation. Georgia is distinguished by democratic republic (1918–1921)—91.1 thou-
significant advantages of the number of char- sand km2, and during the Soviet period the
acteristicsofgeographicallocationscompared country lost 20.4 thousand km2. Currently, the
with the neighboring countries. The issue of area of the territory of Georgia is 69.7 thousand
Georgia's location is controversial among the km2. According to the size of the territory, the
expertsbecause the Caucasus islocatedatthe following European countries are far behind
Eurasian crossroad. Georgia: Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium,
Denmark, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Slovenia, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Montenegro,
Macedonia, Albania, Moldova, Latvia, Lithua-
nia, and Estonia.
Configuration of the state’s territory has a
certainimportancefortheeconomicandpolitical
development of the country. It defines the char-
V.Neidze(&)
acteristics of the transport network, internal
DepartmentofHumanGeography,
regional connections, and borderline peculiari-
VakhushtiBagrationiInstituteofGeography,
IvaneJavakhishviliTbilisiStateUniversity, ties;itaffectstheborderprotection,relationswith
Tbilisi,Georgia neighboring countries, development of military
e-mail:[email protected]
©SpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG2022 1
N.BolashviliandV.Neidze(eds.),ThePhysicalGeographyofGeorgia,
GeographyofthePhysicalEnvironment,https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90753-2_1