Kartvelians
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 4 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Georgia c. 3,223,600 |
|
 Russia
|
~157,803 |
 Iran |
~100,000 |
 Ukraine
|
~34,199 |
 Greece
|
~27,400 |
 Italy
|
~14,045 |
| Languages | |
| Georgian and other Kartvelian languages | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christian (Georgian Orthodox Church) Minority: Catholicism, Islam, Judaism |
|
|
a. ^ The total figure is merely an estimation; sum of all the referenced populations. |
|
The Georgians or Kartvelians (Georgian: ქართველები, translit.: kartvelebi) are a nation and ethnic group who constitute a majority of the population in Georgia. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, Greece, Iran, Ukraine, United States, and to a lesser extent throughout the European Union.
Georgians arose from the ancient Colchian and Iberian civilizations. After Christianization of Iberia by Saint Nino they became one of the first who embraced the faith of Jesus in the early 4th century and now the majority of Georgians are Eastern Orthodox Christians and most follow their national Georgian Orthodox Church. There are also small Georgian Catholic and Muslim communities in Tbilisi and Adjara, as well as a significant number of irreligious Georgians.
A complex process of nation formation has resulted in a diverse set of geographic subgroups of Georgians, each with its characteristic traditions, manners, dialects and, in the case of Svans and Mingrelians, own regional languages. The Georgian language, with its own unique writing system and extensive written tradition, which goes back to the 5th century, is the official language of Georgia as well as the language of education of all Georgians living in the country.
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