Map of Georgia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 A.D. and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians Arabs and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-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 in 1921 and regained its independence when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Mounting public discontent over rampant corruption and ineffective government services followed by an attempt by the incumbent Georgian government to manipulate national legislative elections in November 2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE president since 1995. In the aftermath of that popular movement which became known as the 'Rose Revolution' new elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his United National Movement (UNM) party. Progress on market reforms and democratization has been made in the years since independence but this progress has been complicated by Russian assistance and support to the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Periodic flare-ups in tension and violence culminated in a five-day conflict in August 2008 between Russia and Georgia including the invasion of large portions of undisputed Georgian territory. Russian troops pledged to pull back from most occupied Georgian territory but in late August 2008 Russia unilaterally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Russian military forces remain in those regions. Billionaire philanthropist Bidzina IVANISHVILI's unexpected entry into politics in October 2011 brought the divided opposition together under his Georgian Dream coalition which won a majority of seats in the October 2012 legislative election and removed UNM from power. A new constitution shifting many powers from the president to the prime minister and parliament including the power to name the prime minister and government ministers does not go into effect until after a new president is elected in the fall of 2013. Conceding defeat SAAKASHVILI named IVANISHVILI as prime minister and allowed Georgian Dream to create a new government. Tensions remain high as IVANISHVILI and SAAKASHVILI and their supporters struggle to co-exist until the end of the president's term.


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Location: Southwestern Asia bordering the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia with a sliver of land north of the Caucasus extending into Europe; note - Georgia views itself as part of Europe

Geographic coordinates: 42 00 N 43 30 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 121
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries

Coastline: 310 km

Maritime claims

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

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

Land use

Irrigated land: 4,330 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 63.3 km³ (1997)

Natural hazards: earthquakes

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


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Population: 4,570,934 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 122
Growth rate: -0.327% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 213
Below poverty line: 9.7% (2010)

Nationality

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

Languages: Georgian (official) 71% Russian 9% Armenian 7% Azeri 6% other 7%

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.327% (2012 est.)
Rank: 213

Birth rate: 10.75 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 180

Death rate: 10.05 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 51

Net migration rate: -3.96 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 189

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 117

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 66

Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 193

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 4.538 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 3.32 beds/1000 population (2007)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 125
People living with hivaids: 3,500 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 126
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 137

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.3% (2005)
Rank: 107

Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 128

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic

Capital

Administrative divisions: 9 regions (mkharebi singular - mkhare) 1 city (k'alak'i) and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki singular - avtom respublika)

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 April 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier date: A.D. 1008 (Georgia unified under King BAGRAT III)

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

Constitution: adopted 24 August 1995

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Parlamenti (also known as Supreme Council or Umaghlesi Sabcho) (150 seats; 77 members elected by proportional representation 73 elected in single-member constituencies; members to serve four-year terms)

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

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Movement [Giorgi TARGAMADZE]; Conservative Party [Kakha KUKAVA]; Democratic Movement United Georgia [Nino BURJANADZE]; For Fair Georgia [Zurab NOGAIDELI]; Georgian Dream (a six-party coalition composed of Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia Republican Party Our Georgia-Free Democrats National Forum Conservative Party and Industry Will Save Georgia); Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia [Bidzina IVANISHVILI]; Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists) or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Shalva NATELASHVILI]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Forum [Kakhaber SHARTAVA]; New Rights [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD) [Irakli ALASANIA]; People's Party [Koba DAVITASHVILI; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI]; Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI]; United National Movement or UNM [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]

International organization participation: ADB BSEC CD CE EAPC EBRD FAO G-11 GCTU GUAM IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA OAS (observer) OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PFP SELEC (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: white rectangle with a central red cross extending to all four sides of the flag; each of the four quadrants displays a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; although adopted as the official Georgian flag in 2004 the five-cross flag design appears to date back to the 14th century

National symbols: Saint George; lion

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes citrus fruits and hazelnuts; mining of manganese copper and gold; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages metals machinery and chemicals. The country imports nearly all its needed supplies of natural gas and oil products. It has sizeable hydropower capacity that now provides most of its energy needs. Georgia has overcome the chronic energy shortages and gas supply interruptions of the past by renovating hydropower plants and by increasingly relying on natural gas imports from Azerbaijan instead of from Russia. Construction of the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline and the Kars-Akhalkalaki Railroad are part of a strategy to capitalize on Georgia's strategic location between Europe and Asia and develop its role as a transit point for gas oil and other goods. Georgia's economy sustained GDP growth of more than 10% in 2006-07 based on strong inflows of foreign investment and robust government spending. However GDP growth slowed following the August 2008 conflict with Russia and sunk to negative 4 percent in 2009 as foreign direct investment and workers' remittances declined in the wake of the global financial crisis. The economy rebounded in 2010-12 with growth rates above 6% per year but FDI inflows the engine of Georgian economic growth prior to the 2008 conflict have not recovered fully. Unemployment has also remained high at above 16%. Georgia has historically suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however the government since coming to power in 2004 has simplified the tax code improved tax administration increased tax enforcement and cracked down on petty corruption leading to higher revenues. The country is pinning its hopes for renewed growth on a determined effort to continue to liberalize the economy by reducing regulation taxes and corruption in order to attract foreign investment with a focus on hydropower agriculture tourism and textiles production. Since 2004 the government has taken a series of actions against endemic corruption including reform of the traffic police and implementation of a fair examination system for entering the university system. The government has received high marks from the World Bank for its anti-corruption efforts.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 119

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 42

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 146

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: citrus grapes tea hazelnuts vegetables; livestock

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 11.8% (2010 est.)
Rank: 8

Labor force: 1.945 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 121

Unemployment rate: 16.9% (2009 est.)
Rank: 153

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 9.7% (2010)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 37.1 (1996)
Rank: 55

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 14

Taxes and other revenues: 27.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 113

Public debt: 29.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 117

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 127

Central bank discount rate: 8% (25 December 2008)
Rank: 35

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 25.87% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 11

Stock of narrow money: $1.737 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 135

Stock of broad money: $3.497 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 131

Stock of domestic credit: $4.973 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 136

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 108

Current account balance: -$1.799 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 133

Exports: $3.326 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 127
Commodities: vehicles ferro-alloys fertilizers nuts scrap metal gold copper ores
Partners: Azerbaijan 17.3% Turkey 10.4% Armenia 9.9% Kazakhstan 7.3% Ukraine 6.2% US 5.5% Canada 5.1% Bulgaria 4.7% (2011)

Imports: $6.683 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 113
Commodities: fuels vehicles machinery and parts grain and other foods pharmaceuticals
Partners: Turkey 17.8% Ukraine 10% Azerbaijan 8.3% China 7.6% Germany 6.8% Russia 5.6% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.818 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 104

Debt external: $11.08 billion (31 December 2011)
Rank: 101

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $8.172 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 82

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $660.3 million (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 76

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 10.1 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 94
Consumption: 9.256 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 91
Exports: 931 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 58
Imports: 471 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 75
Installed generating capacity: 4.538 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 75
Generation sources fossil fuels: 37.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 173
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 94
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 62.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 28
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 130

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 95
Crude oil exports: 820 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 66
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 189
Crude oil proven reserves: 35 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 84

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 858 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 114
Products consumption: 17,280 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 140
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products exports rank: 180
Products imports: 18,500 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 108

Natural gas
Production: 10 million m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 91
Consumption: 1.65 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 82
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 202
Imports: 1.64 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 53
Proven reserves: 8.495 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 81

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 5.302 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 122

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.345 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 67
Mobile cellular: 4.43 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 113

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 state-owned public TV station in Tbilisi and 8 privately-owned TV stations; state-run public broadcaster operates 2 networks; dozens of cable TV operators and several major commercial TV stations are operating; state-owned public radio broadcaster operates 2 networks; several dozen private radio stations (2008)

Internet
Country code: .ge
Hosts: 357,864 (2012)
Hosts rank: 59
Users: 1.3 million (2009)
Users rank: 90

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 73

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 22 (2012)
Rank: 134

Heliports: 2 (2012)

Pipelines: gas 1596 km; oil 1258 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 78

Roadways
Rank: 106

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 40

Ports and terminals: Bat'umi P'ot'i


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Disputes international: Russia's military support and subsequent recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence in 2008 continue to sour relations with Georgia

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia