The South Caucasian nation of Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

is home to several protected area

Protected area

Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...

s, which receive protection because of their environmental, cultural or similar value. The oldest of these – now known as the Lagodekhi Nature Reserve – dates back to 1912, when Georgia was part

Georgia within the Russian Empire

Between 1801 and 1918 the country of Georgia was part of the Russian Empire. For centuries, the Muslim Ottoman and Persian empires had fought over various fragmented Georgian kingdoms and principalities but by the 18th century, a third imperial power, Russia, had emerged in the region. Since Russia...

 of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

.

As of 2009, the total area of Georgia’s protected territories is 492,892 hectare

Hectare

The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

s, which amounts to approximately 7 % of the country’s territory. There are 14 Strict Nature Reserve

Nature reserve

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

s, 8 National Park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

s, 12 Managed Resource Protected Areas, 14 Natural Monument

Natural Monument

A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....

s and 2 Protected Landscapes in Georgia.

Existing protected areas

• Ajameti Protected Area
• Algeti National Park
  Algeti National Park
  The Algeti National Park is a protected area in Georgia, in the southeast of the country. It lies in the region of Kvemo Kartli, within the Municipality of Tetritsqaro, some 60 km southwest of the nation’s capital, Tbilisi....
  
  
• Batsara-Babaneuri Protected Areas
• Bichvinta-Miusera Protected Areas
• Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
  Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
  The Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is a protected area in central Georgia, situated in the Lesser Caucasus, southwest to the nation’s capital of Tbilisi....
  
  
• Chachuna Protected Area
• Gardabani Protected Area
• Imereti Caves Protected Areas
• Javakheti National Park
• Katsoburi Protected Area
• Kazbegi National Park
• Kintrishi Protected Areas
  Kintrishi
  The Kintrishi State Nature Reserve or the Kintrishi Protected Areas is a nature reserve in Kobuleti District, Adjara, Georgia, located at the gorge of the Kintrishi River and was established in 1959 to preserve its unique flora and fauna and famous Kolkh willow trees...
  
  
• Kobuleti Protected Areas
• Kolkheti National Park
  Kolkheti National Park
  Kolkheti National Park is a national park located in the historical region of Colchis in western Georgia. It lies on a coastal plain on the Black Sea, between the mouths of the Tikori and Supsa and spanning the districts of Zugdidi, Khobi, Lanchkhuti, Senaki and Abasha...
  
  
• Lagodekhi Protected Areas
• Liakhvi Protected Area
• Mariamjvari Protected Area
• Mtirala National Park
• Pskhu-Gumista Protected Areas
• Ritsa Protected Area
• Tbilisi National Park
• Tusheti Protected Areas
• Vashlovani Protected Areas
  Vashlovani National Park
  Vashlovani National Park is a national park located in the eastern part of Georgia, and was established in 1935 to preserve its unique shallow forests. In April 2003 the Reserve's area was expanded to 84.80 km² and Vashlovani National Park was made...