Georgia i/ˈdʒɔrdʒə/ (Georgian: საქართველო Sakartvelo, IPA: [sɑkʰɑrtʰvɛlɔ] ( listen)) 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 south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 km², and its population is almost 4.7 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy.
Ushguli or Ushkuli (Georgian: უშგული) is a community of villages located at the head of the Enguri gorge in Upper Svaneti, Georgia. Ushguli comprises four villages:
Zhibiani (Georgian: ჟიბიანი) some 2100 m above sea level; Chvibiani or Chubiani (Georgian: ჩვიბიანი); Chazhashi or Chajashi (Georgian: ჩაჟაში); Murqmeli (Georgian: მურყმელი).
The Ushguli villages contain buildings that are part of the UNESCO Heritage site of Upper Svaneti.
Altitude is 2,410 metres.
It is located at the foot of Shkhara, one of the highest Caucasian summits. About 70 families (about 200 people) live in the area, enough to support a small school. The area is snow-covered for 6 months of the year, and often the road to Mestia is impassable.
Typical Svanetian protective towers are found throughout the village. The Ushguli Chapel located on a hilltop near the village dates back to the 12th century.
The Mikhail Kalatozov documentary Salt for Svanetia was filmed in Ushguli.