The capital and largest city of Georgia is located on the banks of the largest river in Transcaucasia - Kura (Georgian name - Mtkvari, which means "good water"). The city lies in a hollow surrounded on all sides by mountains.
The population of Tbilisi is more than 1.1 million people. There are Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Jews and other nationalities. The national currency is the Georgian lari (GEL).
People come to this city to see ancient castles and monasteries, to visit museums and sulfur baths, and to admire the amazing local scenery. It is a poetic city that was once a muse for Shota Rustaveli, Mikhail Lermontov, and Leo Tolstoy.
According to the first documentary sources, the city of Tbilisi was founded in the IV century. It was then that the first mention of the settlement, named after the local warm springs ("tbilisi" from Georgian means "warm").
Because of its special geographical location (almost on the border between Asia and Europe) the Georgian capital has often been a victim of internecine wars. In the Soviet Union Georgia was considered to be a very attractive tourist destination, and now the tourist industry of the country is actively developing.
