National Atlas of Georgia

The National Atlas of Georgia was presented at the 70th Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2018. Georgia was the single guest of honor at the book fair; thus more than 60 Georgian novel writers got the chance to have their books translated in German and to visit Germany for a book launch over several months. This first National Atlas of Georgia in the English language gives a comprehensive and contemporary picture of the country with information in introductory text pages for each chapter, followed by hundreds of maps and figures.^[1] This required intense interdisciplinary cooperation of all involved scientists during many years of work, and the support of several national institutions in Georgia and Germany.

Georgia was a comparably privileged republic within the Soviet Union due to its agriculture and industry, and the tourist areas on the Black Sea and in the Caucasus mountains. However, knowledge of Georgia was very limited in the Western world until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Thereafter, the three-year civil war produced a decade of political instability with a long-lasting financial, economic and social crisis. About 1.5 million Georgians have emigrated since 1991, some starting businesses with Georgian products, others opening Georgian restaurants, thus raising interest in Georgia, a country known for its hospitality, wine and cuisine. Today, Georgia has again become an attractive destination for tourism to its historical treasures and unspoiled mountain areas with national parks.

But few people know that there are different languages and ethnic groups in Georgia, that a separate Georgian alphabet exists and that Georgia has a fascinating history of more than 2000 years. The National Atlas presents detailed information covering all topics for visitors as well as for scientists and business travelers. The detailed table of contents of the National Atlas is bilingual (English and German), and helps to find texts and maps easily.^[2]