Georgia occupies an area of 69,700 sq. km and is thus twice the size of Belgium and nearly twice as large as Switzerland.
Location:
It lies between the Black and Caspian Seas, on the south slope of the Caucasus, bordered by Russia in the north; Armenia, Turkey in the south, Azerbaijan - in the south-east.
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
Climate:
Warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
Population:
4,394,7 (2007)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 779,1 (male 406/female 373,1)
15-64 years: 2,972,2 (male 1,425,2/female 1,547)
65 years and over:643,4 (male 248,3/female 395,1) (2007)
Ethnic groups:
Georgian 83.8 %, Armenian 5.7 %, Russian 1.5 %, Azeri 6.5 %, Ossetian 0.9 %, Abkhaz 0.1 %, other 1.5% (2002)
Religions:
Orthodox Christian 83.9 %, Muslim 9.9 %, Armenian-Gregorian 8 %, Catholic 0.8 %, other 0.8 %, none 0.7 % (2002)
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
Capital:
Tbilisi
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
State System of Georgia:
Georgia is a democratic state with a republican form of government, under the rule of President of Georgia, the Parliament of Georgia, the courts of Georgia.
The President of Georgia is the head of the state.
The Parliament of Georgia is the country’s highest representative body, executing the legislative power.
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the president's recommendation); Constitutional Court; first and second instance courts
Flag description:
White rectangle, in its central portion a red cross connecting all four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners is a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; the five-cross flag appears to date back to the 14th century
Official Language:
Georgian
Volume & Changes in GDP at Market Prices (GEL)
9,824 million (2004), 11,621 million (2005), 13,790 million (2006), 16,999 million (2007)
Volume & Changes in GDP at Market Prices (USD)
5,124 million (2004), 6,411 million (2005) 7,762 million (2006), 10,175 million (2007)
Iron and Steel scrap, Vine of fresh grapes, Ferro-alloys, Nuts-fresh or dried, Aircrafts, Copper ores and concentrates, Nitrogen Fertilisers, Gold unwrought or in cemi -manufactured forms, Mineral Waters, Sugar etc.
Imports:
$1,675 million (2007)
Imports - commodities:
Petroleum and petroleum oils, Cars, Remedies, Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons, Sugar, Turbo-jet, turbo-propellers and other gas turbines, Aircrafts, Wheat Flour, Wheat, Electrical energy etc.
Trade partners:
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Germany, US, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Italy, UK, Other partner countries
Currency:
Lari
Currency code:
GEL
Exchange rates:
Lari per US dollar -1.60 (2007) 1.77 (2006), 1.8127 (2005), 1.910 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957 (2002), 2.073 (2001), 1.9762 (2000)
