Georgia: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture (Culture Smart!)

Georgia lies between Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and theMiddle East, on the southeastern shore of the Black Sea. This smallCaucasian country is used to playing a significant role in globalgeopolitics, though its strategic location at the crossroads ofdifferent civilizations has been a curse as well as a blessing.Once a battlefield of the Christian and Muslim worlds, today it iscaught between its NATO aspirations and its location in Russia’sbackyard.The Silk Road, the great overland trade route between Europe andChina, brought the world to Georgia. Its ancient Christian culturereflects the contributions of Arab, Persian, and Ottomanconquerors. Combined with this is a southern, “Mediterranean” feel,traces of the old Soviet legacy, and a very pronounced modernWestern influence. What awaits the visitor is a unique culturedating back thousands of years.Culture Smart! Georgia sets out to provide insights andpractical tips for tourists and businesspeople alike. It will guideyou through the complex realities of the country, explaining whatmotivates people, how they go about their daily work and sociallives, their customs and their traditions—and how to relate tothem.