Georgia was part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century and enjoyed a brief period of independence from 1918 to 1921. Tbilisi, formerly Tiflis, is the capital of the Republic of Georgia. Tbilisi, traditionally, was an important manufacturing and transportation center, at the junction of railroads and highways. Tbilisi's diversified industries included the manufacture of electric locomotives, machine tools, and electrical engineering products. Textile, paper, and apparel manufacturing, liquor distilling, and food processing were also important.
Energy is obtained from nearby hydroelectric stations and a gas-fired thermal power station.
Formal gardens enhance the city's parks. Most of the major public buildings are on the Prospekt Rustaveli, the main thoroughfare, named for the classic Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli. On Mtatsminda Hill is a pantheon, containing the graves of prominent Georgian cultural figures. The existence of a fortress on the site of Tbilisi was first reported in the 4th century. Georgia's capital since the 11th century, Tbilisi grew more rapidly after Georgia's union with Russia in the early 19th century.