THE ROAD TO GEORGIA
Written by MOTORBIKE EUROPE Road Writers -
If you want to take your motorcycle on a different type of adventure, take it to Georgia, and the Caucasus. The Caucasus Mountain range, situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, is around 1100 km long, and 180 km wide, with more than 1,000 glaciers. The highest peak is Mount Elbrus, which lies 5,642 meters above sea level.
The two mountain ranges were formed by the same tectonic shift that created the Alps for some. 25 million years ago, and the area is still geologically unstable.
To the west, the mountains are covered by dense forest. On the plateau between the Great and Little Caucasus, you’ll find swamps, forests and steppes, which gradually turn into deserts, down towards the Caspian Sea. Approximately 100 km south of the Great Caucasus, lie the Little Caucasus, stretching from Turkey, through Armenia, to Azerbaijan.
After the October Revolution, Georgia declared its independence, on 26 May 1918, but on the16th of February, 1921, the Democratic Republic of Georgia was occupied by the Red Army, and incorporated into the Soviet Union. On the 9th of April, 1991, Georgia declared itself independent state again, which led to wars in the provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the Georgian government to this day, has no control over South Ossetia, and the majority of Abkhazia.
Georgia's ancient capital was called Mtskheta, and due to its historical significance and numerous ancient monuments, the "Historical Monuments of Mtskheta" became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
