The Republic of Agausia

Overview

Geography

Politics

Culture

Military

Economy

News

Other information

see Nation Summary

Agausia (Agausian: Agûzâ) officially the Republic of Agausia (Agausian: Agûzës Resṕubliḱa) is a Eastern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Black Sea. It lies nearly 115km (71 mi) north of Turkey, 78 km (48 mi) southwest of Russia and 187 km (116 mi) west of Georgia. With a population of about 2,677,463 over an area of 16604.9 km², Agausia is the world's one-hundred-fifthy-third smallest country in area and fifty-fifth most densely populated sovereign country. Its capital is Tamara, which is home to about 10% of the country's population - with 252,298 residents as of the 2020 census. Other major urban areas include Goti, Didibazari, Ḱûli, Romda, Šavi Žva, Tavšesapari, Guzda, Čest́i, and St́alina.

Agausia is a nation which consists of 5 inhabited islands; Mtavari Island (Mtavari Mitsëâ), Dasavletis Island (Dasavletis Mitsëâ), Mary Island (Meri Mitsëâ), Totsia Island (Totsëâ Mitsëâ), and Khvelaze Dabali Island (Ḱvelaze Dabali Mitsëâ). Mtavari Island is the largest island. There are also a number of small uninhabited islands which make up the island nation.

Agausia is a developing country, with a medium sized economy, ranking 63rd in the Human Development Index. It has the world's 109th largest economy by nominal GDP. Agausia has experienced steady, but often stagnate, economic growth since the early 2000. the country's economy is now based predominantly on services, nearly 64.9%. It is a producer and net exporter of machines and electric energy. Agausia also is a booming tourist destination. Agausia has been a member of the United Nations since 1992. The majority of Agausia's population are ethnic Agausian and practice Agausian Orthodoxy.

The official and national language is Agausian, which can trace its roots to a branch of the Kartvelian language family. Agausian is thought to have cemented its status as the dominate language during Tamar the Great's rule over Agausia in the 12th century. Russian and Ukrainian are also widely spoken, with Russian being an official language in Agausia until 1991 and a majority of the current Agausian population being at least conversational in the Russian language. There are also minority populations who speak Georgian and Turkish

Etymology [back to contents]

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The main two hypotheses as to the etymological origins of the name of Agausia are a possible blend of Greek/Latin and Georgian. The first part of the name "Aga" could be derived from Greek "Ag-". The prefix could be borrowed from "αγ-" which can denote leadership, assembly, or gathering. For example, "αγορά" (agora) means "assembly" or "marketplace." It is also possible that it comes from the Latin word "agere," meaning "to lead" or "to drive." The ending "usia" could be derived from the Georgian word "აუსი" (ausi), meaning "to shine" or "to glow." The name is thought to pay homage to the island's importance in trade and as a landmark to other important Greek trading cities like Dioscurias and Pityus.

Some of the earliest recorded use of the name Agausia, or a variant of the name, can be found in Strabo's Geographica; where the area is referred to as (Αγαυσι) Agausi.

In the The Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam (Arabic: حدود العالم, lit. "Boundaries of the World" or "Limits of the World") Agausia is thought to have been referenced as (Persian: جزیره دریای جورجیا,:jzarh draaa jwrjaa:) "Georgian Sea Islet"

Abraham Ortelius also made reference to Agausia in his 1570 publication of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. [1]

Two spelling forms: agausa and agausi were used interchangeably until sociolinguistic developments after the fall of the USSR led to the current adoption of Agausia.

Official names

Over its long history Agausia has been referred to in very similar ways. Those in the Latin community called the islands Agausa. In the Slavic and Greek communities it was called Agausi (Агауси, Αγαυσι).

Before the Russian revolution the area was the Agausi Protectorate (Agausian: Agûsis Ṕrot́ekt́orat́i).

It was known by a similar name while under the rule of the Kingdom of Georgia. Influences of Georgian rule can be found in the name of Agausia's capital Tamara; named after Tamar the Great.

During Soviet occupation Agausia took on the name, Agausi Soviet Socialist Republic (Agausian: Agûsis Sabčota Soëalist́uri Resр́ubliḱa ; Russian: Агауси Советская Социалистическая Республика).

History [back to contents]

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Prehistory

The ethnic group known as Agausians were not the first to inhabit the territory of modern-day Agausia. The inhabitance of the islands were among the Slavic tribes that separated from the Proto-Indo-Europeans, who appeared in the northeastern part of Europe ca. 5th century BC.

Antiquity

Greek colonies established on the Black Sea coast in the 8th century BC became important centres of commerce with the local tribes.

Proto-Agausian tribes, coming from the north Caucasus, appeared in Agausia in the late 7th century. These proto-Agausian tribes were able to repel the Slavic tribes after a series of brief battles lasting until nearly 601 bc, when Vsevolod's tribe was pushed into modern day Russia.

As the Roman Empire began to spread their influence into the Black Sea so too did their influence grow in Agausia. When the Western Roman empire fell, Agausian (known then as Agausa) continued to thrive as a vassal of the Byzantine Empire.

Tamar the Great

After the Byzantine–Georgian wars the territory of Agausia succeded with the rump state of the Trapezuntine Empire. The Empire of Trebizond became one of three Byzantine successor states to claim the imperial throne. It was formed in 1204 with the help of the Georgian queen Tamar after the Georgian expedition in Chaldia and Paphlagonia.

During Tamar the Great's rule, and her role within Trebizond, Georgian influence grew in Agausia - this is the time period in which the Agausian language is thought to have developed.

The Trapezuntine monarchy survived the longest among the Byzantine successor states. Trebizond lasted until 1461 when the Ottomans took over much of it after a one-month siege. However, the territory of Agausia was not immediately absorbed by Sultan Mehmed II.

Principality of Agauziis

In 1463, after repelling Ottoman advances, George the faithful (Giorgi Ertgé) asked George VIII of Georgia for aid in repelling the Turks. In exchange, the Principality of Agauziis would become a vassal state of George VIII; these terms were accepted.

There were several large-scale invasions planned against the Principality by the Ottomans. In 1472 Mehmed the Conqueror took control of Agausia's three southern islands, and advanced to the foothills of the Msoplios Metauri mountains. After a 5 week invasion the Agausians, who were dug into the mountains, repelled Mehmed's army at the battle of Pativtsmiy (Pativtsëmë).

In 1482 Sultan Bayezid II, along with Mehmed I Giray, staged an invasion in which troops from both sides encircled Agauziis. The Ottomans enforced a naval blockade while Giray's troops descended from the north. The Agausians surrender on June 11, 1482 in Tamara after a weeks long siege.

Russian expansion

As the Russian Empire began its expansion into the Black Sea region Agausian peasants saw the Russians as a Christian liberator from their Muslim overlords. In May of 1780 Ottoman officials executed 15 Agausian men for conspiring with Russia.

This was followed by a two year regime of fear. The ruling aristocrats of Agausia, made up of mostly Muslim Turks, ordered daily executions of suspected Russian sympathizers.

October 1782 saw several pro-Russian riots in Aleksandra, Mshbukia, and Semi. The protests, made up of mostly non-land owning serfs, grew violent and 212 people were killed by Ottoman authorities.

Agausian rebels staged an uprising in the town of Tavshesapari and were able to successfully force a surrender of the Ottoman troops. From there they made advances towards the port citys of the Akhlos Region. On November 29, 1782 Russian troops reached the shore at Skvilpeka Rkosani Pirutkvi's port. From there it took the Russian Imperial Army seventeen days to capture nearly half of the Island territory.

The last major battle occurred near Lake Brchkali. The battle of Brchkali lasted an additional five days and saw nearly 12,000 deaths. The decisive win for Russians saw a quick and immediate march to the capital. Tamara was captured in 18 hours, as the navy had already blockaded and bombarded the city.

On January 14, 1783 Catherine the Great signed a decree on the incorporation of Agausi within the Russian Empire.

Agausia in the Soviet Union

The Russian Revolution of October 1917 plunged Russia into a bloody civil war during which several outlying Russian territories declared independence. Agausia was one of them, proclaiming the establishment of the independent Democratic Republic of Agausia (DRA) in 1918.

The DRA existed until 1920, when it was dissolved and absorbed into the the greater Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. From 1920 - 1938 the modern territory of Agausia existed as the Agausi autonomous oblast.

The dissolution of the DRA saw mass protests in the oblast for years. The Red Army put down 50 - 100 large scale riots in the period between 1920 and 1931. In 1938, under leader Joseph Stalin Agausi was promoted to the Agausi Soviet Socialist Republic (Agausian: Agûsis Sabčota Soëalist́uri Resр́ubliḱa).

In June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union on an immediate course towards Caucasian oil fields and munitions factories. They never reached Agausia, however, and some 12,000 Agausian fought in the Red Army to repel the invaders and advance towards Berlin. Of them, an estimated 5,000 were killed.

Throughout the remainder of the Soviet period, Agausia's economy was quite unstable, but it did seem some years of impressive growth, though it increasingly exhibited blatant corruption and alienation of the government from the people. In the years leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union nationalistic protets began to grow once again.

Modern Agausia

On 4 March 1991 shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Supreme Soviet of the Agausi SSR (Agausian: Agûsis SSR Ûmaǵlesi Sabčo) declared independence after a referendum held. 98% of the Agausian population voted in favor of independence. From 1991 until the presidential election of 1992 Adiam Avtsikarev (RM) and his cabinet of minsters operated the executive branch exclusively.

Boris Kundakchi was elected as the first president of an independent Agausia in 1992. Following the assassination of prime minister Timote Pesty (RM) in 1994 the Social Democratic Party began to cement their control of the country. In 1992 Agausia joined the international community by formally joining the United Nations.

Geography and climate [back to contents]

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Agausia is a small mountainous country situated entirely in the Black sea. The nation consists of 5 inhabited islands; Mtavari Island, Dasavletis Island, Mary Island, Totsia Island, and Khvelaze Dabali Island, and a number of uninhabited islands.

Mtavari Island, the largest of the islands, is dominated by mountains and valleys. There are several large and medium sized mountain ranges in Agausia. In the east of the country lies the Ǵvtébrivi Sé mountains. They sit on the border of the Žirsi and Mtavari Iḱ regions. The Ǵrubeli region contains four different mountain ranges. The Anželozis Ṕrt́ mountains sit to the east of the region, the Ǵrubeli mountains are in the north with the Arkt́aš and Kvedaže mountains sit on the regions western border. The Didebae mountains sit in the north of the Borani region, just south of Ǵrubeli region. The Lečûm mountains sit just west of the city of Romda, Agausia's second largest city. Lastly the Bat́onoba mountain range sits in the west of the country in the Bat́onoba region.

The Humdul Strait (Agausian: Humdulis Srut́e) separates Russia, Georgia and Agausia with at least 78 sq km of water.

Climate

Agausia, located on the Black Sea has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with warm rainy winter and sunny warm summer.

The climate of the region varies significantly with elevation and while much of the lowland areas are relatively warm throughout the year, the foothills and mountainous areas experience cool, wet summers and snowy winters.

Its average annual temperature is 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) during the day and 11.1 °C (52.0 °F) at night. In the coldest month – February, typically the temperature ranges from 5 to 15 °C (41 to 59 °F) during the day and 2 to 10 °C (36 to 50 °F) at night. In the warmest month – August, the typically temperature ranges from 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F) during the day and about 20 °C (68 °F) at night. Large fluctuations in temperature are rare. The hottest temperature recorded in Agausia was 38.4 °C (101.1 °F). The lowest temperature was −13.4 °C (7.9 °F).

Governance [back to contents]
see Politics of Agausia
see Political parties of Agausia
see Administrative Divisions
see Armed forces of Agausia

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Politics

The Republic of Agausia's political framework is a Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic where the Prime Minister is the head of government and the President serves as the head of state. The President represents the country internationally, signs some decrees, approves laws promulgated by parliament and nominations as head of state.

Simon Aioviḱara is the current president and Mišḱo Ermolai is prime minister. Ayovikara won reelection in 2022 and will be term limited in 2027.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Agausia is the chief executive body of the Government of Agausia. Its function according to the Constitution of Agausia is "to carry out the domestic and foreign policy of the State and to apply general control over the work of public administration".

Agausia has a multi-party system, with legislative power vested in the government and the Parliament.

The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. From the 1920s until the 1990 parliamentary elections, the Communist rule political structure took place in the framework of a one-party socialist republic governed by the Agausian Communist Party (AKP) as its only legal party - under the rule of the Soviet Union.

In December of 2020 the Economist Intelligence Union (EIU) rated Agausia as a Flawed Democracy. The EIU reported that Agausia had faults in several democratic aspects including minor suppression of political opposition and critics, an underdeveloped political culture, and issues in the functioning of governance.

Foreign relations

Agausia maintains, overall, good relations with its direct and indirect neighbors, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

It is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Community of Democratic Choice, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Partnership for Peace.

In 1993 Agausia became a member of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. On 31 January 1993, Agausia joined the then-Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (now the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The European Union's Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Agausia went into force on 1 March 1998.

Since Ukraine's admittance into the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) officials in Tamara have been debating weather or not Agausia should follow Ukraine's footsteps. Joining DCGTA would integrate Agausia into the European Single Market and the European Economic Area.

Military

The Agausian armed forces consists of Land, Air, and Naval Forces, along with the National Border Guard. Agausia has accepted all relevant arms control obligations of the former Soviet Union.

In 1992, Agausia ratified the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment and provides for the destruction of weapons in excess of those limits.

Since independence Agausia has signed a number of significant military agreements aimed to strengthen regional security. The agreements are part of Agausia's strategy to reform its military and cooperate with its neighbours, while maintaining its national security and sovereignty.

The Agausian Armed forces are led by the Commander-in-chief (president of Agausia) with the supervision and council of the Minister of Defence, deputy minister of Defence, and the Chief of Armed Forces (Currently General Simoni Makdaari).

Administrative Divisions

The Republic of Agausia's administration is relatively centralized and administrative subdivisions are therefore fairly simplified. According to the Constitution of Agausia, its territory is organized administratively into 20 regions (Regioni) and 1 Capital City.

Each Region is headed by a Governor who acts as an executive in each region. Each region is then broken down into districts (Ûbani). The settlements of each region/district are classified as either a city, town, or village.

Each city will have a mayor. Towns and villages do not have their own mayor, but instead a non-partisan Commune Administrator (Ḱomuna Administ́rat́ori). Communes are administratively grouped with the geographically closest city, or in voting districts.

Agausia has 52 cities, 134 towns and 469 villages.

Economy [back to contents]

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In 2021 Agausia was projected to have a GDP of $54.26 billion. Agausia also has a very high Human Development Index (HDI).

After 1989 the country experienced a decade of economic instability and decline, led in part by an obsolete industrial base and a lack of structural reform. In the early 2000s, during the Shevchenko Administration (1997-2002), economic and social reforms helped transform Agausia's economy into one of relative stability, characterised by high growth, low unemployment and declining inflation.

However beginning in 2008 the economy began to slow down, and Agausia has seen years of stagnation. President Melor Olarazi's (SD) (2007 - 2012) administration tried to battle high inflation and major stagnation. The global recession, however, mired economic progress. Olarazi lost his reelection bid in 2012 and his loss saw the first Agausian Liberal President Eduard Avagyan. Then-president (2012 - 2017) Eduard Avagyan's (AL) economic reforms failed to address many of the issues which plagued Agausian society.

When President Ayovikara took office in 2017 he promised to reverse his predecessor's economic reforms, and introduce a sweeping set of reforms that would mirror the success of former president Shevchenko. Ayovikara also ran on a platform of lowering unemployment. Strengthen the agricultural and industrial sectors, and give support to the unions that work with both. In January of 2020 the unemploment rate was 9.4%.

In 2019 the unemployment rate was reported at 10.8%, a post-WWII high.

Agriculture

Agausia's rich soil and temperate climate (with warm summers and mild winters) have made the country a productive agricultural regions. In modern times agricultural workers hold a surprising amount of political power. In part due to the Farmer's and Green's Union's (Permerta da Mtsëvaneta Ḱavširi) importantance to many Social Democratic led governments. Agausia's agricultural products include vegetables, fruits, grapes, wine, and grains.

Infrastructure

Despite having a rather developed road network, Agausia lacks a modern railroad system, although since 2011 there have been major advances in the nation's rail network. Major cities such as Tamara have modern city metro systems, but the nation doesn't have a sufficiently advanced cargo rail system. While there are no roads connecting the smaller inhabited island to the main island there are a number of passenger and cargo routes that run to and from the islands. Several politicians, presidents, ministers and prime ministers have proposed building connecting bridges but so far, no true plans have been drafted.

The nation has two government owned deep seaports. The first is in the Capital of Tamara, which was completed by the soviets in 1958. The second is being built in the port city of Guzda, and is scheduled to be in operation by 2026.

Agausia has three airports, Mogzauri International Airport, Prtiani Mkhë International Airport and Kvišebararis Airport. Tamara International, which operates out of Mogzauri, is the largest of the two with 16 aircraft in its fleet. Tamara International operates domestic and international passenger flights and cargo services to Europe, the Middle East, the United States, Canada, and Asia. Black Sea Airways, based at Prtiani Mkhë, hosts 10 aircraft. The airways services flights to Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Kvišebararis Airport is a local airport and serves no major international carriers.

Tourism

Tourism is a significant contributor to the Agausian economy. Tourism in Agausia attracted €400 million in investments in 2005. More than 60% of the foreign visitors in 2007 were from EU countries. The popular summer attractions of Skvilpeka Rkosani Pirutkvi (Sḱvilр́eḱa Rkosani Ṕirut́kvi), Pativtsmiy (Pativtsëmë) and other Black Sea Resorts attracted 2.3 million tourists in 2009.

Today, Agausia is an all-season resort of an international level. Agausia boasts their world class facilities, including: sanatoriums, boarding houses recreation centers, balneological institution and hotels.

Beach areas operate year round, and more than 100 tourist facilities operate, alongside several private excursion companies operate.

In recent years, there has been a steady increase in tourist traffic. Over 3.7 million tourists visited Agausia in 2016 a dramatic increase than seen in previous years.

Energy

With few natural energy resources, Agausia imports almost all of its energy supplies from Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. However, Agausia has relied less and less on Russian and more on other partner; including Romania, Turkey, Azerbaijan Ukraine, and several Middle Eastern counties.

Agausia does have a small coal mining industry, which has supplied the domestic population with a majority of their needed coal. Recently the Agausian government in Tamara have been hinting at the possible of solar and hydroelectric projects in the future - which could lessen Agausia's reliance on others for their energy needs, and create new high-tech jobs.

Demographics [back to contents]
see Agausian diaspora
see Agausian language
see Education in Agausia
see Agausian Autocephalous Orthodox Church

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According to the 2020 census Agausia has a total population of 2,677,463. There are nearly 161.3 people per sq. km. Making Agausia the 55th most densely populated country. Like other countries in the region, its population is expected to decline gradually as a result of sub-replacement fertility rates, but the nations does have a neutral positive net migration rate. As reported by the census 83% of the nation's identifies as an ethic Agausian.

Agausia is home to a diverse number of ethnic groups including, Agausians, Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Turks and Others. There are also small populations of Pontic Greeks, Armenians, Estonian.

Agausia is a Secular state and endorses no official religion, however a majority of Agausians are Christian.

Languages

The most widespread language group is the Kartvelian family, which includes Agausian, Georgian, Svan, Mingrelian and Laz. The official language is Agausian.

Agausian is thought to have cemented its status as the dominate language in Agausia during Tamar the Great's rule over Agausia in the 12th century. It is not know when Agausian was first developed, but it is theorized that groups of Kartvelian migrants spread northeastward into eastern Georgia, Russia, and Agausia, possibly accompanied by linguistic assimilation of East Caucasian speakers. There is another theory that the ancestors of the Agausians could have been related to a Neolithic culture from the highland Dagestan.

The modern Agausian alphabet was created in the early 1920s during latinization. Agausian linguist Elijah Yagmur Ivanovi (Elâ Âgmur Ivanovi), together with Greek linguist, composer, and theologian Pavlos Antonelis (Παύλος Αντωνέλης) adapted the Agausian language, previously written in the Georgian script to a latin script. Ivanovi and Antonelis' alphabet was a fundamental step in strengthening Agausian national identity.

Russian and Ukrainian are also widely spoken, with Russian being an official language in Agausia until 1991 and a majority of the current Agausian population being at least conversational in the Russian language. There are also minority populations who speak Georgian and Turkish.

The 2020 census also counted populations of Armenian, Pontic Greek , and Estonian speakers.

Religion

Agausia is a secular state and has no state religion. An overwhelming majority of the population identify themselves as Christians.

According to 2020 census data nearly 84% of respondents identified as Christian. Of those, 98.% identified as Agausian Orthodox, a branch of Eastern Orthodox. Another 1% identified as Georgian Orthodox. Data also showed a small number of Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Reformed Protestants (Calvinists), and Pentecostals.

Nearly 6% of the nation practices Islam, and of those almost 100% subscribe to the Sunni branch of Islam.

Agausia also had 8.7% of responders say that they were atheist, or that religion played no part in their lives. There are even smaller populations of Hindus (mostly in Tamara) and Jews, whilst the religion of the rest - .4% - is unknown.

In the latest census there were reportedly just over 8,030 Jews in Agausia, of which, nearly all belong to a Hasidic group. There are also 16,065 Hindus living in the country.

Repatriation policy (1995)

In 1995 the Agausian Parliament passed a number of laws which had substantially expanded the process of housing exchange from Russia and other republics of the former Soviet Union back to Agausia, and well as the process of purchasing housing in Agausia for Agausian citizens or people of Agausian descent who wanted to settle in Agausia. Among the most important pieces of legislation at this time were Parliamentary Decree No. 82, "On changes and additions to several decrees by the Government of the Republic of Agausia on issues of regulating migration", adopted on 12 March 1995.

The policies, supported by president Boris Kundakchi (1992 - 1997), were mildly successful (although much less so then the government had hoped for) at attracting ethnic Agausians from former soviet republics. The true success, concerning population growth and sustainability, lay with subsequent economic and social reforms starting in the Shevchenko Administration (1997-2002).

Education

The education system of Agausia has undergone sweeping modernizing, although controversial, reforms since 2006. President (2004-2007) Vladimer Zorikin (AL) oversaw the beginning phases of the reforms. The process of reforms have received mixed reviews from domestic and international observers. Education in Agausia is mandatory for all children aged 5–16.

he school system is divided into elementary (five years; age level 5–10), basic (three years; age level 10-13), and secondary (three years; age level 13–16), or alternatively vocational studies (two years). Students with a secondary school certificate have access to higher education. Only the students who have passed the Unified National Examinations may enroll in a state-accredited higher education institution, based on ranking of the scores received at the exams.

Most of these institutions offer three levels of study: a bachelor's programme (three to four years); a master's programme (two years), and a doctoral programme (three years). There is also a certified specialist's programme that represents a single-level higher education programme lasting from three to six years.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Sports plays a highly centralized role in regards to school standards, the retention and discipline of teachers and staff, and in regards to curriculum taught. Minister Anamaria Nemeth (Anamarâ Nëmet́i) has seen over educational reforms at the ministry from 2006 - 2010, 2014 - current.

Almost all the population is literate: the literacy rate of the population aged 16 and over is estimated at 99.4% (as of 2020).

Healthcare

Agausia has a universal health care system. It covers medical examinations, any most surgical operations, and post-operative medical care, and provides free or subsidized medicine for a range of diseases. The state is obliged to fund public hospitals and clinics. The most common causes of death are cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Life expectancy is 69 for men and 78 for women.

Culture [back to contents]
see Holidays in Agausia Calendar year 2023
see Agausian Summer Spirit Festival (Day of St. John the Baptist)

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Agausia's cultural tradition has been influenced by many influences over its long history. Agausian culture evolved over thousands of years from its foundations, but historians argue to as to where the origins of the Agausian people actually migrated from. One camp argues that Agausians come from the North Caucasus mountains, near modern day Dagestan, while others say the modern Agausian people come from Iberia.

Other cultures that influence modern Agausian are linked to territories that ones ruled over the territory. Latin, Slavic, Turkish, and Islamic cultures can be found in the tiny nation of 2 million people.

Arts, museums and monuments

Museums and monuments are managed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Sports; the current education, culture, research and sports minister is Anamaria Nemeth (Anamarâ Nemet́i).

Within its borders Agausia has 2 UNESCO sites. One site is located in the Ghrubeli mountains, near the town of Uvat in the Region of Gonis. It features an orthodox monastery carved into stone near the base of the mountains. The next is a Georgian monastery and library. The domed building is located in the capital city of Tamara, and within its archives survives many of the texts of cultural importance to Agausians.

In the western city of Odssa, lies the Agausian National WWII memorial (Agûsës Meore Msoplio Omis Erovné Memorâli). Every year on 9 May the president/commander-in-chief visits the national cemetery and memorial to pay respects and to thank the fallen soldiers.

Holidays, traditions, and cuisine

There are 12 non-working holidays in Agausia. On these days, government offices, embassies and some shops, are closed. If the date of observance falls on a weekend, the following Monday will be a day off in lieu of the holiday. The holidays celebrated include Declaration Day which commemorates the day that the Agausian parliament declared national independence of the Agausian people and creation of Republic of Agausian.

Winter holidays include the Christmas and New Year festivities during which various unique folklore dances and games are common. During Easter, traditions such as painting eggs are very common. Other major holidays include; Victory Europe Day, Labour day, International Women's Day, and Defenders day.

Another popular holiday is The Agausian Summer Spirit Festival (Agausian: Šua Zapkulis Suli Zeimi), colloquially know as Day of St. John the Baptist (Agausian: Ióne Natlismtsëmlis Ǵhe) it is a traditional Agausian holiday that is celebrated on the shortest night of the year. The celebration relates to the summer solstice when nights are the shortest and includes a major feast day it is also celebrated with an All-Night Vigil.

Agausian cuisine has been influenced by Russian and Georgian and also shares some similarities with other cuisines in the Black Sea region.

Pork, chicken, and lamb are the preferred types of, but and fish is also quite popular. Certain traditional recipes are made in direct connection with the holidays Christmas and at Easter and other Agausian holidays. Ṕat́aratsëveti is a strong plum and citrus wine reaching a 70% alcohol content which is the country's traditional alcoholic beverage.

Sports

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Agausia. Tennis is also a popular sport, and Agausia has three world renowned tennis players - Grigoli Gouzhbaum (Grigoli Gо́žbûm), Maria Balaneski (Marâ Balanesḱi) and Zhasmini Iyoga (Žasmini Ëoga) - who retired in 2021.

In a 2023 match in Raanana, Israel Agausian tennis player Maria Balaneski failed to qualify for the next round of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Masters Tour. She lost to Israeli player Naomi Cohen with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

Agausia has no Olympic medals, but has sent several athletes over the years. In 2014, during the Sochi Winter Olympics, figure skater Rozmarini Yagavin (Rozmarini Âgavini) was a fan favorite and nearly won a medal. Unfortunately during her final performance Yagavin shattered her ankle and was forced to forfeit. Yagavin's injury was a result of a car accident in 2001, which left a young Yagavin in a coma for six days.

Famous peoples

• Elijah Yagmur Ivanovi (Elâ Âgmur Ivanovi) : Agausian linguist, created modern Agausian Alphabet.

• Theodora Kurdgelia (Teodora Ḱurǵelâ) : Agausian poet, singer, anti-soviet activist.

• Zakari Tvauri : Patriarch of All of Agausia and Archbishop of Tamara from 1890 to 1921. Died fighting communist forces during Russian Revolution.

• Andreii Pavlovski (Andrë Pavlovski) : Scientist, author, chairmen of the supreme soviet (1953 - 1959).

• Edgar Zurabian (Eǵar Zurabâni) : Agausian actor and same-sex marriage activists. Died during protest at hands of police, and became martyr for the LGBTQ+ movement in Agausia.

• Apolona Nebiskopa (Aṕolona Nebisḱopa) : First female prime minster of Agausia.

• Lyia Baliki (Liâ Baliki) : First women on the bench of the Constitutional Court of Agausia.
  

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