Crossword Genius

Country in the direction of Northern Georgia (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tonga

'country' is the definition.
(Tonga is an example)

'in the direction of northern georgia' is the wordplay.
'in the direction of' becomes 'to'.
'northern' becomes 'n' (abbreviation e.g. N. Ireland).
'georgia' becomes 'GA' (abbreviation).
'to'+'n'+'ga'='TONGA'

(Other definitions for tonga that I've seen before include "Islands once ruled by Queen Salote" , "Tropic island" , "Light vehicle in India" , "transport" , "two-wheeler" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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