Query: Georgians arose from an ancient kingdom on the coast of the Black Sea and they are significant.

Relevant passages:
Colchis <=SEP=> Colchis ( -LSB- ˈkɒlkɪs -RSB- კოლხეთი Kolkheti ; Greek Κολχίς Kolkhis ) was an ancient kingdom and region on the coast of the Black Sea , centered in present-day western Georgia . It has been described in modern scholarship as `` the earliest Georgian formation '' which , along with the Kingdom of Iberia , would later contribute significantly to the development of the medieval Georgian statehood and the Georgian nation . Internationally , Colchis is perhaps best known for its role in Greek mythology , most notably as the destination of the Argonauts , as well as the home to Medea and the Golden fleece . It was also described as a land rich with gold , iron , timber and honey that would export it 's resources mostly to ancient Greece .   Colchis was populated by Colchians , an early Kartvelian-speaking tribe , ancestral to the contemporary Western Georgians , namely Svans and Mingrelians , as well as the related Lazs . Its geography is mostly assigned to what is now the western part of Georgia and encompasses the present-day Georgian provinces of Samegrelo , Imereti , Guria , Adjara , Abkhazeti , Svaneti , Racha ; modern Russia 's Sochi and Tuapse districts ; and present-day Turkey 's Rize , Trabzon and Artvin provinces .

Georgians <=SEP=> The Georgians or Kartvelians ( -LSB- ქართველები , tr -RSB- ) 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 autocephalous 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 .   Located on the crossroads of predominantly Christian Europe and Muslim Western Asia , Georgian people have maintained their Christian identity in the face of great pressure from neighboring Muslim empires . By the early 11th century they formed a unified Kingdom of Georgia and inaugurated the Georgian Golden Age , a height of political and cultural power of the nation . This lasted until being weakened by Mongol invasions , as well as internal divisions following the death of George V the Brilliant , the last of the great kings of Georgia . Thereafter and throughout the early modern period Georgians became politically fractured and fell into decline due to the onslaught of various hostile empires , including the Ottoman Empire and successive dynasties of Persia . To ensure Georgia 's survival , in 1783 Heraclius II of Georgia forged an alliance with the Russian Empire , which Georgians viewed as a replacement for their fallen traditional ally -- Byzantine Empire . The Russo-Georgian alliance , however , backfired as Russia was unwilling to fulfill the terms of the treaty , proceeding to annex the troubled kingdom in 1801 . Georgians briefly reasserted their independence from Russia under the First Georgian Republic from 1918-1921 , and finally , in 1991 from the Soviet Union .