|
Terrain
relief.
Whatever side you may enter
Georgia from, you see mountains all around you. All
rivers and streams in Georgia arise in the mountains,
and almost every village and town has its own "home"
mountain. Mountain ridges and hills occupy 80 per cent
of Georgia's area, so he who wants to take a look afar
must first climb a mountain top.
On the northern
border of Georgia rises the Main Caucasian Range
(Caucasioni)on the southern border are the Minor
Caucasus. They are linked up by the Likhi (Surami)
Range, which extends from north and south, dividing
Georgia into two geographical parts -the eastern and the
western. Between the Greater and the Minor Caucasus lies
a zone of lowland in which the Colkhis lowland and the
plains of Inner and lower Kartli are of special
interest. Many peaks in the Georgian part of the Main
Caucasuian Range are higher than the lofties peak of the
Alps, Mt. Mont Blanc. Among them are Mt. Shkhara (5201
m.), Mt. Kazbegi (5047 m.) , the Rustaveli Peak (4960
m.), Mt. Tetnuldi (4852 m.), Mt.Ushba
(4695) etc.
In the central part
of the Greater Caucasus, lies the main mass of the
glaciers. Most of them are the Alpine type: valley,
hanging, karst and firn glaciers. Viewed from a distance
they look snow-white, ideally clean and smooth. In
actual fact, however , they are cut by a multitude of
deep crevices filled with water in summer. Widely common
are cylindrical depressions dotting glaciers like
pock-marks. The surface of the glaciers is strewn with
large boulders, and there are high morainal ridges at
their fringes. Glaciologistst have found a total of 197
glaciers in the mountains of Georgia. The fresh water
reserves accumulated in them are almost 700 times larger
than the annual flow of all rivers on earth. This
natural refrigerator not only moderates Georgia's
climate but also provides stable water supply to
Caucasian rivers.
The
climate of Georgia has markedly expressed
belts with a vertical pattern. In the same season of the
year you may bask in the sun on a sea beach or ski,
visit the zone of eternal glaciers or the arid steppes
in the south-east of the Republic. Divided by a mountain
barier, Western and Eastern Georgia substantially differ
from one another climatically. Western Georgia is a
humid region with a subtropical seaside climate. Winter
is mild and warm , summer is relatively hot, the mean
annual air temperature is 15 C. above zero. In Eastern
Georgia the climate is drier and continental, with a
warm summer and moderately cold winter. The maximum
rainfall is in late spring and early summer. Autumn in
Georgia is fair and warm everywhere. The coldest month
Is January. Spring is short, with abrupt changes in the
weather.
The rivers
are rapid and full. The waters of the largest rivers-the
Mtkveri, Rioni, Iori, Aragvi and Liakhvi, and a number
of smaller rivers are used for irrigating agriculture
crops. In the middle mountain belt of Western Georgia
many rivers disappear in limestone ground to reappear on
the surface elsewhere. The rivers of Western Georgia
belong to the basin of the Black Sea and these of
Eastern-to the Caspian basin.
The
lakes are not large but vary in origin
(volcanic, karst, relict, glacier ) and are picturesque,
most of them lying high up in the mountains. The biggest
lakes are Paravani (37 sq.km.), khosapini (26.65 sq.km.)
and Paliastomi(17.3 sq.km.). Quite popular with tourists are the
mountain lakes Amthkel,Bazaleti and Ertso. In the
mountains of the Greater of Caucasus lies the deep lake
Keli in which the river Ksani has its source. Dwarf
icebergs float in its transparent emerald-green water
even in July. In addition to natural lakes manmade lakes
serving as water reservoirs - Khrami, Djandari,
Shaori,Tbilisi,Sioni,Zhinvali and
others.
The flora
comprises 4 000 species of wild-growing plants of the
northern countries and the subtropics,the steppes and
highlands, plains and seaside areas. About one-third of
total area is covered by forests, some of which are
preserves. Since in Georgian conditions forests have a
special role to play in soil and water conservation,
commercial timbering is carried out on a limited scale.
The main forest species are oak, beech, hornbeam, pine,
fir and chestnut. Among the valuable species are
box-tree and dzelkva. Above the timber line is the zone
of sub-Alpine and Alpine meadows, rich in medicinal
herbs. The Alpine meadows extend to an altitude of 3 500
m.
The animal kingdom
is also rich and varied. The aurochs, Bezoar
goat,chamois, roe deer, gazelle, wild boar, and large
and small predators occur in Georgia. Widely common
species of the feathered family are pheasants, mountain
turkeys, black grouse, partridges, and bustards. Staying
here in winter are wild geese, ducks and swans, and in
spring come flying, great snipes, cranes, snipes, and
woodcocks. The common bird predators are mountain and
steppe eagles, black griffons, and hawks. The rivers and
lakes abound in trout, salmon, sheat fish, sazan, carp
and pike, as well as local species, such as khramuli,
Colchis podust, murtsa, and Colchis barbel.
|
