Tbilisi (English: /təbɪˈliːsi, təˈbɪlɪsi/ tə-bih-LEE-see, tə-BIL-ih-see; Georgian: თბილისი [tʰbilisi] ( listen)), in some countries also still named by its pre-1936 international designation Tiflis (/ˈtɪflɪs/ TIF-liss), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million people. Founded in the 5th century AD by Vakhtang I of Iberia, since then Tbilisi served as the capital of various Georgian kingdoms and republics. Between 1801 and 1917, then part of the Russian Empire, Tbilisi was the seat of the Imperial Viceroy, governing both Southern and Northern Caucasus.
Long fought over by warring empires, the city of Yerevan survived centuries of foreign occupation, finally becoming independent with the fall of the Soviet Union. This capital city, a center of Armenian culture, has celebrated its freedom with a flurry of construction and a growing population. Despite this push forward, history survives in Yerevan - The Institute of Ancient Manuscripts houses books dating back to the 9th century, and the ruins of the Erebuni Fortress, built in 782 BC, still stand.
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