Georgia vs Armenia

Why people mix them up

Georgia and Armenia are neighbours in the South Caucasus, both small, mountainous former Soviet republics with ancient Christian traditions. Each has its own unique alphabet, both are famous for winemaking and old stone churches, and they are often visited on the same trip. People also confuse the country of Georgia with the US state of the same name, and many are unsure which of the two countries lies on the Black Sea.

How to tell them apart

• Georgia has a coastline on the Black Sea; Armenia is landlocked.
• Georgia's flag is white with a large red cross and four small red crosses; Armenia's has horizontal red, blue and orange stripes.
• The capitals are Tbilisi (Georgia) and Yerevan (Armenia). Tbilisi lies on the Kura river.
• Georgian script has rounded, curly letters; Armenian script has its own distinct alphabet, with more upright, angular letters.
• Georgia is larger, about 70,000 km², more than twice the area of Armenia.
• Georgia borders Russia; Armenia borders Iran, which Georgia does not.

Memory hook

Georgia sits on top, along the Caucasus Mountains and the sea, and its flag carries crosses. Armenia sits below, with Mount Ararat, just over the border in Turkey, on the horizon, and its flag is a sunset of red, blue and orange.

On the map

Find the Black Sea and look at its eastern shore, south of Russia. The country along that shore, stretching inland along the Caucasus Mountains, is Georgia. Armenia is the smaller, landlocked country directly south of Georgia, between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran. If the country you are tapping touches the sea or Russia, it is Georgia.