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Georgia's natural environment is one of the most unique and varied in the world. Geologically it has more compressed into its surface than some continents. Remarkable for its landscape diversity, from mountains to desert, from snow to palm trees, Georgia ranks among the world's wonderlands. Within 67,000 square kilometres (about the size of Ireland) you can find 5000 metre peaks; glaciers, alpine meadows; sub-tropical coastline, high desert, semi-desert, fertile alluvial valleys, wetlands and of course huge swathes of virgin forest. Indeed nearly 40% of Georgia is still forest, a large proportion of which is still "virgin".
| " | Not a single country in Europe possesses such a rich Flora and Fauna as Georgia." |
World Wildlife Fund To protect this natural resource 31 protected areas have been established and conservation measures enacted. Within these are five major National parks, all with extensive trail systems:
Georgia is like a magnificent landscape sandwich - its green fertile, alluvial lowlands set between the snowy Greater and Lower Caucasus mountains. This incredibly long and wide valley, is criss-crossed by hills, gorges, cliffs and rivers The Caucasus are geologically young mountains, only 25 million years old. They have the damp Black Sea winds blowing in from the west and the drier but still humid Caspian basin to the east. This gives the whole region plenty of rainfall, so erosion is strong. But still the mountains are growing, pushed up by the collision of tectonic plates below the surface.
Georgia's Wildlife is amazingly diverse, Bird watching is spectacular in its colour and variety, and the Flora is equally amazing with its pre Ice Age flowers found no where else.
Due to its large areas of uninhabited forest, low levels of tourism and remote high alpine zones Georgia has preserved more species of animal than any country in Europe (save Russia, too huge to visit in a lifetime much less one trip)This includes a number of endemic species - of which perhaps the most notable is the Caucasian tur, a Related to the European Ibex it comes in two version, eastern and western...
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Georgia is, arguably, the bird-watching destinations of Europe. It has over 360 recorded species of bird including three endemics (found only here) - Caucasian Black Grouse; Caucasian Snowcock, Caucasian Chiffchaff (All of western Europe has but one)...
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The Caucasus are famous for their botanical resource and many flowers and trees found in gardens across the world originated from our landscape. Georgia has between 4000 and 4500 species of vascular plant. Of these an estimated 15% are endemic to the Caucasus with about 300 species endemic to Georgia alone...
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Georgia has one the largest proportions of land dedicated to national park (25%) in the world (by contrast the USA has only 4% of its land protected). Fully 40% of our territory is forest, a good proportion genuine old growth virgin wood...
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