Proud of Kamala (and Tim)

I first want to mention my gratitude for veterans this Veterans Days and always. This election was quite a roller coaster, the likes of which I never experienced before. I believed Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, had a decent chance of winning — but I knew the election results would be almost 50/50 and that the winner would not win by much. Unfortunately, the result turned out to be disappointing for me (I was confident they could win) but yet not all that surprising since Donald Trump has a strange stranglehold over much of the American people. I know Trump might have done some good things for the economy, but I and many fellow Americans wanted to give Kamala a chance; she might have given us an even better economy for all we know!

While Harris-Walz did not win the so-called “swing states,” Trump-Vance did not win those states by a landslide. All of the swing states in this election — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — gave Harris-Walz almost or at least 48% of the vote. To summarize, Harris-Walz and other Democrats put forth a valiant and optimistic effort that helped to bring out the best in us, in contrast to the hatred, fearmongering, and falsehoods coming from the “other side.” Harris and Walz (and other Democrats) should be very proud of their campaign. It is worthwhile to note how Harris-Walz had relatively little time to prepare (since late July 2024) compared to Trump's team. They also conceded the election with grace, class, and wisdom, whereas Trump and his people disputed the 2020 election even in 2024. I immensely believe future generations will look back at this moment in history and will appreciate the historic candidacy of Kamala Harris — and how she inspired us to be better.

Georgia Independence Day

People all across the country of GEORGIA are celebrating their country's Independence Day today. Georgia achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Happy Independence Day!

2020 Presidential Election Results — Georgia to Indiana

Here are the 2020 Presidential Results from the states of Georgia to Indiana in alphabetical order:

National Geographic Bee Prep — Black Sea

Name at least two countries that directly border the Black Sea in Eastern Europe.




All possible answers are listed below!



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Possible answers:

BULGARIA
GEORGIA
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
TURKEY
UKRAINE

(MOLDOVA does not quite border the Black Sea, although it does have access to the Black Sea via a port along the Danube River.)

Georgia Exports

The following items are major exports of GEORGIA: automobiles, chemicals, citrus fruit, coal (small amounts), copper, electrical appliances, fertilizer, gold (small amounts), grapes, hazelnuts, iron ore, machine tools, manganese, metal alloys, petroleum (small amounts), scrap metal, tea, wine, and wood. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Russia (top importer), Bulgaria, Turkey, the United States, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Ukraine, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Iran, Italy, Germany, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Iraq, Belarus, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Estonia.

Day of National Unity in Georgia

Residents in GEORGIA (საქართველო) might have a celebratory or bittersweet day on April 9th — the date that can be both described as the Day of National Unity (official name) and an Independence Day. April 9th is the 26th anniversary of the Georgian Parliament declaring independence from the Soviet Union. However, April 9th also marks the solemn day in 1989 when nineteen protesters died in a stampede caused by the Soviet Army's aggressive actions in Tbilisi. Georgia has another independence day coming soon slightly more than a month after the upcoming unity day. On May 26th, Georgia will celebrate the country's first establishment, almost 100 years ago in the Russian Revolution's aftermath in 1918. I hope Georgians can celebrate a happy Day of National Unity this year and look forward to honoring their country in May 26th festivities!

Georgia Endangered Species

As of August 1st, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for GEORGIA in western Asia lists 17 critically endangered species and 26 endangered species. Fortunately, Georgia does not have any extinct species on the IUCN Red List. The IUCN provides maps for some of these species, many of which have small geographic distributions.

Critically endangered species include the Charnali Lizard, European Eel, Kanchaveli's Bellflower, Russian Sturgeon, and Ship Sturgeon. Kanchaveli's Bellflowers grow in a small area in north-central Kakhet'i region, located in eastern Georgia near the Russia border. The Charnali Lizard is located in southwestern Georgia in Ajaria region as well as northeastern Turkey's Artvin and Rize regions. Some endangered species include the Albov's Thistle (Samegrelo-Zemo Svanet’i region in northwestern Georgia), Clarks' Lizard, Colchic Masterwort plant (northwestern Georgia), Egyptian Vulture, Kakhetian Bellflower (southeastern Kakhet'i region in southeastern Georgia), Megrelian Birch tree, White-headed Duck, and Woronow's Centaury plant (Ajaria and Samts’khe-Javakhet’i regions in southwestern Georgia). Megrelian Birch trees only have been discovered growing on Mount Jvari and Mount Migaria.

Some of the aforementioned species are located in the Caucasus Biodiversity Hotspot and endemic to Georgia, being only located in the country and nowhere else. Endemic species in Georgia include the Albov's Thistle, Colchic Masterwort, Kakhetian Bellflower, Kanchaveli's Bellflower, and Megrelian Birch. In addition to southwestern Georgia, Woronow's Centaury is also found in northeastern Turkey's Artvin province. Like with the Woronow's Centaury, the Charnali and Clarks' lizard species are found in Turkey.

Georgia post - link opens in a new tab or window

Abkhazia

In the Caucasus Region of the world in Eurasia, there are several disputed territories and areas seeking to gain a sense of autonomy. One of those regions is ABKHAZIA, a triangular area located in the northwest part of the country GEORGIA. The region is found east of the Black Sea and south of Russia. Georgian troops that tried to occupy the land in 1993 were unsuccessful, so the dispute continues but with some negotiations possible. The capital of Abkhazia is Sokhumi, also spelled Sukhum. Other communities, having apostrophes in their English-spelled names, include Bichvint'a, Och'amch'ire, and Tqvarch'eli. The Enguri River forms Abkhazia's southern border.

Some Facts About Georgia

While Georgia is a state in the United States, there is also the country of GEORGIA, a former-Soviet republic located mainly in West Asia but is also a part of extreme Southeastern Europe. Georgia is situated south of the Caucasus Mountains, which forms the country's northern border. Georgia was at times in conflict with its northern neighbor, Russia. Azerbaijan is located to the southeast, Armenia is south, Turkey is southwest, and the Black Sea is west.

The capital, T'bilisi, is in the eastern part of Georgia. Other major cities include Sokhumi, Bat'umi, K'ut'aisi, and Rust'avi (they are sometimes spelled without apostrophes). Almost three-fourths (75%) of the population is of the Georgian ethnicity. Other people living in Georgia include Azeris/Azerbaijanis, Armenians, and Russians. The Georgian Orthodox tradition has the most worshippers in Georgia. The currency is the Georgian Lari, which has the ISO 4217 currency code of GEL.

Former Names of Capitals

Quite a few capitals previously had different names. The following is a list of many, definitely not all, of the capitals that had different names in the past — they are categorized by continent.

AFRICA
Bujumbura, BURUNDI's former capital (Gitega is the new capital since 2019), was called Usumbura until 1962.
N'Djamena, CHAD's capital, was called Fort Lamy until 1973.
Kinshasa, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO's capital, was called Léopoldville until 1966.
Banjul, the capital of GAMBIA, was named Bathurst until 1973.
Antananarivo, MADAGASCAR's capital, was named Tananarive until 1975.
Maputo, MOZAMBIQUE's capital, was named Lourenço Marques until Mozambique's independence in 1976.
Harare, ZIMBABWE's capital, was named Salisbury until 1982.

ASIA
Tbilisi, GEORGIA's capital, was known as Tpilisi (Georgian) or Tiflis (Russian) until 1936.
Jakarta, INDONESIA's highly-populated capital, was known as Sunda Kelapa, then Jayakata, then Batavia, then Djakarta from 1949 to 1972.
Tokyo, JAPAN's capital located on the island of Honshu, was previously named Edo until 1868.
Astana, KAZAKHSTAN's capital, was known as Tselinograd, then Aqmola.
Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN's capital, was named Pishpek until 1926 and Frunze until 1991, the fall of the Soviet Union.
Ulaanbaatar, MONGOLIA's capital, was known as Ugra until 1924.
Dushanbe, TAJIKISTAN's capital, was called Dyushambe until 1929 and received the name Stalinagrad until 1961.
Ankara, TURKEY's capital, was called Angora until 1930.
Ashgabat, TURKMENISTAN's capital, was called Poltoratsk from 1919 until 1927.

EUROPE
Belgrade, SERBIA's capital, was known as Singidunum in ancient times.
Podgorica, MONTENEGRO's capital, was known as Birziminium before the 11th century, Ribnica during the Middle Ages, and Titograd from 1946 to 1992. The capital possessed the name Podgorica in 1326 until 1946, resuming in 1992.

SOUTH AMERICA
Sucre, one of two capitals of BOLIVIA and named in honor of Antonio José de Sucre, was called Chuquisaca until 1825.

Credit goes to the New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition, which conveniently listed former capital names.

Georgia

GEORGIA, a Eurasian country in Asia, is located above Azerbaijan and Armenia. Georgia's northern portion is sometimes considered to be in Europe. This country borders the eastern side of the Black Sea and is north of Turkey and south of Russia. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi (T'bilisi), which is located in eastern Georgia. Other major cities include Sokhumi, Bat'umi, K'ut'aisi, and Rust'avi. Like T'bilisi, these cities are sometimes spelled without apostrophes. Almost three-fourths (75%) of the population is of the Georgian ethnicity. Other people living in Georgia include Azeris (from Azerbaijan), Armenians, and Russians. The Georgian Orthodox tradition has the most worshippers in Georgia. The currency is the Georgian Lari, and its ISO 4217 currency code is GEL.