Monday, July 27, 2020

2020 Travel the World - Week 30

My Travel the World card series is usually posted on Tuesday of each week, but since I have another commitment on my blog tomorrow, I'm posting a day early this week.

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...



Georgia



Georgia is a transcontinental country, located partially in Eastern Europe and partially in Southwest Asia. It is generally considered to be part of Europe.

Bounded to the west by the Black Sea, Georgia is bordered to the north and northeast by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.

The very first Europeans originated from Georgia.

Most areas of the country are mountainous.

The coastline of Georgia is 193 miles long.


Forests cover around 40% of Georgia’s territory.

Forest regions are characterized by wild boars, deer, bears, lynx, wolves, foxes, jackals, hares, and squirrels.

Georgians call their country Sakartvelo. The name consists of two parts: Kartveli, which refers to an inhabitant of the core central Georgian region of Karli-Iberia, and the circumfix sa-o is a usual geographic for indicating the “land where Kartveli live.” It’s not known where the English name of the country came from, though there is a theory that might explain it. St. George is believed to be the patron saint of Georgia, and thus the name might have been coined by Christian reformers in the Middle Ages.

No one speaks the Georgian language except Georgians.


The villages of Bochorna and Ushguli are the highest permanent settlements in Europe at 2,345 and 2,100 meters above sea level, respectively. Both are mountainous regions where summer is short and winter is snowy and breezy.

Georgia has 12 different climate zones, ranging from subtropical to alpine to semi-desert, and has 49 types of soil. This makes Georgia one of the most ecologically diverse countries on Earth. In addition, many of the most exciting animals like leopards, lynxes, and bears reside in the dense forests of the country.


This country has the world’s deepest cave – the Krubera Cave, which is hidden amongst the mountains. The almost vertical Krubera Cave is 7,200 ft. deep and it takes about 27 days for a caver to reach the cave’s bottom.

There’s an old Georgian saying that goes something like “A guest is a gift from God,” so if you’re a stranger in town, you’re sure to be given some divine hospitality. Whether stuffing guests full with a hearty spread of cheesy bread (katchapuri), grilled meats, and stews, or offering their homes so you can rest for the night (to party some more later!), you’ll find a lot of smiling faces, and many, many bottles of wine being opened in your honor till the wee hours of the morning.

Mealtimes are celebrated as they bring people together and there is always plenty of wine and food going around. There is a ‘tamada’ or toastmaster present at every ‘supra’ (traditional Georgian feast). This person is required to entertain, inspire or give thanks. If you find yourself welcomed into a Georgian home remember to raise a glass and say “Gaumarjos!” (“cheers” in Georgian).

In Georgia it is a tradition to eat meat by hand. This is believed to give the dish a special flavor.

Georgia is known for its choral folk music.

The Vidalia onion, which is the sweetest onion in the world, can be grown only in the fields around Vidalia and Glennville, in Georgia.

Because Georgian people are so kind and sociable, they will commonly take hitchhikers to their destinations, and if necessary, will feed them, give them a drink and even a place to spend the night.

I decided to let this Georgia fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Georgia serves as a host to the International Poultry Trade Show annually, which is the largest poultry convention in the world. 




Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Sparkle N Sprinkle Spring Chickens stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black and SU Real Red CS and SU DP

Dies: My Favorite Things Stitched Rounded Rectangle and Taylored Expressions Let's Talk Edger 1

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots

3 comments:

Donna3d said...

Wow. So many interesting tidbits about a country I knew nothing about. I'd like to go there someday now!

kiwimeskreations said...

Now that is a fascinating country - I had heard of it, but not of the ecological diversity, or any of the other facts, Jeanette. Thank you for your research :)
Love your card - that is one fabulous card...I hope you weren't exhausted by the time you had finished making it
Stay safe
Blessings
Maxine

Lynn McAuley said...

I love this fun card!!