The presented work deals with the spread of viticulture and fruit farming in the Middle Ages in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region in Georgia. The current state of the farming sectors mentioned and those pivotal moments in Georgian history that had an influence on agriculture are also considered in the article. The changes that determined the viticulture geography from the second part of the 16th century up to the present day are also discussed. The study is mainly based on the census document created in 1574. The article represents the geographic distribution patterns of vineyards and orchards, as well as wine production capacity and the fruit harvest. Retrospective mapping made it possible to restore the distribution of farms and gardens of the mentioned period and to analyse the importance of viticulture and fruit farming in the 16th century. The maps represented show spatial patterns of vineyards, gardens, and main terroirs.

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The Georgian region, Samtskhe-Javakheti, has a long tradition of pastoralism. Our research focused on the study of pastoral agricul¬ture across XVI–XX centuries. The study is based on census documents, which provide information on the number of sheep and their distribution, statistical and modern field-based materials. The research goal was to study the pastoral systems and related socio-eco¬nomic sectors and analyze their spatial and temporal dimensions. The paper presents thematic maps prepared by the authors, which reflect the state of pastoralism in the sixteenth to twentieth centuries and the present situation. The tabular and cartographic material presented allows to assess the changes that have taken place over a long time and to analyze modern conditions.

The paper presents the maps of ecosystems and 11 dominant woody species of Ambrolauri municipality, Georgia (Europe). Forest cover comprises approximately 68% of the study area, most of which are natural forests. Almost all formations of natural forests, depicted on the Georgian section of the Map of the Natural Vegetation of Europe, are still preserved in the research area. Nearly 40% of the forested land is broadleaf forest. Woody species are better preserved in the upper reaches of rivers, while an anthropogenic transformation is most visible in the Lower Racha Floodplain. A majority of the species discussed in the paper are included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The paper also deals with the issues of forest land degradation and threats imposed by invasive species to biodiversity.