Background

The region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries AD and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th to the 13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Despite myriad problems, some progress on market reforms and democratization has been made since then. An attempt by the government to manipulate legislative elections in November 2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, president since 1995. New elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his National Movement Party.

 

Geography

 

Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia

 

Geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 43 30 E

 

Map references: Asia

 

Area: total: 69,700 sq km; land: 69,700 sq km; water: 0 sq km

 

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

 

Land boundaries: total: 1,461 km; border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km

 

Coastline: 310 km

 

Maritime claims: NA

 

Climate: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

 

Terrain: largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland

 

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m; highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m

 

Natural resources: forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth

 

Land use: arable land: 11.44%;  permanent crops: 3.86%; other: 84.7% (2001)

 

Irrigated land: 4,700 sq km (1998 est.)

 

Natural hazards: earthquakes

 

Environment - current issues: air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals

 

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

 

Geography - note: strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them

 

People

 

Population: 4,677,401 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 444,779/female 398,162); 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,480,557/female 1,603,743); 65 years and over: 16% (male 300,859/female 449,301) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 37.36 years; male: 34.93 years; female: 39.7 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: -0.35% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 10.25 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 9.09 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: -4.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.16 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female; total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 18.59 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 20.71 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.88 years; male: 72.59 years; female: 79.67 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 1.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,000 (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

 

Nationality: noun: Georgian(s); adjective: Georgian

 

Ethnic groups: Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%, other 2.5% (2002 census)

 

Religions: Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, Muslim 9.9%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census)

 

Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7%; note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

 

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 99%; male: 100%; female: 98% (1999 est.)

 

Government

 

Country name: conventional long form: none; conventional short form: Georgia; local long form: none; local short form: Sak'art'velo; former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

 

Government type: republic

 

Capital: T'bilisi

 

Administrative divisions: 9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 9 cities (k'alak'ebi, singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika); : regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli; : cities: Chiat'ura, Gori, K'ut'aisi, P'ot'i, Rust'avi, T'bilisi, Tqibuli, Tsqaltubo, Zugdidi; : autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi); note: the administrative centers of the 2 autonomous republics are shown in parentheses

 

Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

 

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union

 

Constitution: adopted 24 August 1995

 

Legal system: based on civil law system

 

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

 

Executive branch: chief of state: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense; head of government: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); Prime Minister Zurab NOGHAIDELI (since 17 February 2005); note - the president is the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense; the prime minister is head of the remaining ministries of government; cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers; elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 4 January 2004 (next to be held NA 2009); election results: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI elected president; percent of vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 96.3%, Temur SHASHIASHVILI 1.9%

 

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats - 150 elected by party lists); members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held spring 2008); election results: percent of vote by party - National Movement-Democrats 67.6%, Rightist Opposition 7.6%, all other parties received less than 7% each; seats by party - National Movement-Democrats 135, Rightist Opposition 15

 

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the president's recommendation); Constitutional Court; first and second instance courts

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as citrus fruits, tea, hazelnuts, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 1995, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. However, the Georgian Government has suffered from limited resources due to a chronic failure to collect tax revenues. Georgia's new government is making progress in reforming the tax code, enforcing taxes, and cracking down on corruption. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the T'bilisi electricity distribution network in 1998, but payment collection rates remain low, both in T'bilisi and throughout the regions. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and trade. The construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline have brought much-needed investment and job opportunities.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $14.45 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 9.5% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20.5%; industry: 22.6%; services: 56.9% (2004 est.)

 

Labor force: 2.1 million (2001 est.)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1999 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: 17% (2001 est.)

 

Population below poverty line: 54% (2001 est.)

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3%; highest 10%: 27.9% (1996)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.1 (1996)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.5% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed): 18.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $671.7 million; expenditures: $804.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

 

Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock

 

Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and

copper), chemicals, wood products, wine

 

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000)

 

Electricity - production: 6.732 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 6.811 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 300 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 850 million kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 2,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 31,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: NA

 

Oil - imports: NA

 

Natural gas - production: 60 million cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - consumption: 1.16 billion cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - imports: 1.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)

 

Current account balance: $-632.9 million (2004 est.)

 

Exports: $909.4 million (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities: scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea,

wine

 

Exports - partners: Turkey 28.1%, Russia 9.7%, Spain 7.9%, Turkmenistan 7.5%, US 7.1%, Armenia 5.3%, Greece 5% (2004)

 

Imports: $1.806 billion (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities: fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals

 

Imports - partners: US 14.8%, Turkey 13.6%, Russia 11%, Germany 7.5%, UK 6.5%, Azerbaijan 6.2%, Ukraine 5.3%, Italy 4.1% (2004)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $231.4 million (2004 est.)

 

Debt - external: $1.8 billion (2002)

 

Economic aid - recipient: ODA $150 million (2000 est.)

 

Currency (code): lari (GEL)

 

Exchange rates: lari per US dollar - 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957 (2002), 2.073 (2001), 1.9762 (2000)

 

Fiscal year: calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 650,500 (2003)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 522,300 (2003)

 

Telephone system: general assessment: NA; domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager service is available international: country code - 995; Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)

 

Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus repeaters) (1998)