The Kingdom of Georgia was united under King Bagrat Bagrationi in 975. The Bagrationi dynasty ruled the country until it was annexed by the Russian Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Following the Russian Revolution it became the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia. In 1989 the country regained it independence.
     Prince Vakhusti Bagrationi (1696-1768) was a geographer and historian during the eighteenth century in Georgia. He published several works: Description of the Georgian Kingdom, Geography of Georgia, and a History of the Georgian Kings.
     The stamp showing a portrait of Bagrationi and his map of the Caucasus, published in 1745, was issued in 1997 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of his birth.