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

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Background:


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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: Asia

Area
Total: 69,700 km²
Land: 69,700 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 121
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina; slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries
Total: 1814 km
Border countries: (4) Armenia 219 km; Azerbaijan 428 km; Russia 894 km; Turkey 273 km

Coastline: 310 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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; fertile soils in river valley flood plains and foothills of Kolkhida Lowland

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

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
Agricultural land: 35.5%
Forest: 39.4%
Other: 25.1%

Irrigated land: 4,328 km² (2007)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 63.33 km³ (2011)

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: 4,931,226 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 122
Growth rate: -0.08% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 205
Below poverty line: 9.2% (2010 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Georgian
Adjective: Georgian

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

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

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
0-14 years: 17.73%
15-24 years: 13.35%
25-54 years: 40.93%
55-64 years: 12.45%
65 years and over: 15.53% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.7%
Youth dependency ratio: 25.2%
Elderly dependency ratio: 20.4%
Potential support ratio: 4.9%

Median age
Total: 37.7 years
Male: 34.9 years
Female: 40.4 years

Population growth rate: -0.08% (2015 est.)
Rank: 205

Birth rate: 12.74 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 155

Death rate: 10.82 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 37

Net migration rate: -2.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 182

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 53.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: -0.1% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: TBILISI (capital) 1.147 million (2015)

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male/female
0-14 years: 1.11 male/female
15-24 years: 1.09 male/female
25-54 years: 0.94 male/female
55-64 years: 0.81 male/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male/female
Total population: 0.92 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 16.15 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 18.31 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 13.82 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 100

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.95 years
Male: 71.85 years
Female: 80.36 years
Rank: 91

Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 159

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 53.4%
Note: percent of women aged 15-44

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 4.27 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 2.6 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.27% (2013 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 85
People living with hivaids: 6,400 (2013 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 101
Deaths: 100 (2013 est.)
Deaths rank: 107

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 22.1% (2014)
Rank: 82

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.1% (2009)
Rank: 131

Education expenditures: 2% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 167

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.8%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.7%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 14 years

Youth unemployment


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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
Name: Tbilisi
Geographic coordinates: 41 41 N 44 50 E
Time difference: UTC+4

Administrative divisions: 9 regions (mkharebi singular - mkhare) 1 city (kalaki) 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; note - the breakaway region of South Ossetia consists of the northern part of Shida Kartli eastern slivers of the Imereti region and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti and part of western Mtskheta-Mtianeti
City: Tbilisi
Autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi)
Note 1: the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are shown in parentheses
Note 2: the United States recognizes the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be part of Georgia

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: previous 1921 1978 (based on 1977 Soviet Union constitution); latest approved 24 August 1995 effective 17 October 1995; amended several times last in 2013 (2013)

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
Chief of state: President Giorgi MARGVELASHVILI
Head of government: Prime Minister Irakli GARIBASHVILI
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; election last held on 27 October 2013 (next to be held in October 2018); prime minister nominated by Parliament appointed by the president
Election results: Giorgi MARGVELASHVILI elected president; percent of vote - Giorgi MARGVELASHVILI 62.1% Davit BAKRADZE (UNM) 21.7% Nino BURJANADZE 10.2% other 6%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament or Sakartvelos Parlamenti
Elections: last held on 1 October 2012
Election results: percent of vote by party - Georgian Dream-led coalition 55% United National Movement 40.3% other 4.7%; seats by party - Georgian Dream 85 United National Movement 65

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court ; Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges): note - the Abkhazian and Ajarian Autonomous republics each have a supreme court and a hierarchy of lower courts
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Parliament; judges serve not less than 10-year terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president following candidate selection by the Justice Council of Georgia a 12-member consultative body of high-level judges and presidential and parliamentary appointees; judges appointed for 10-year terms
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; regional and district courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB BSEC CD CE CPLP (associate) EAPC EBRD FAO G-11 GCTU GUAM IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt 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
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Archil GEGESHIDZE
In the us chancery: 1824 R Street NW Washington DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] 387-2,390
In the us FAX: [1] 387-0864
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard NORLAND
From the us embassy: 11 George Balanchine Street T'bilisi 0131
From the us mailing address: 7,060 T'bilisi Place Washington DC 20,521-7,060
From the us telephone: [995] 227-70-00
From the us FAX: [995] 253-23-10

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; sometimes referred to as the Five-Cross Flag; although adopted as the official Georgian flag in 2004 the five-cross design appears to date back to the 14th century

National symbols: Saint George lion; national colors: red white

National anthem
Name: 'Tavisupleba'
Lyrics and music: Davit MAGRADSE/Zakaria PALIASHVILI
Note: adopted 2004; after the Rose Revolution a new anthem with music based on the operas 'Abesalom da Eteri' and 'Daisi' was adopted

National heritage


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Economy overview: Georgia's main economic activities include cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes citrus fruits and hazelnuts; mining of manganese copper and gold; and producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages metals machinery and chemicals in small-scale industries. The country imports nearly all of 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 South Caucasus 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. The expansion of the South Caucasus pipeline as part of the Shah Deniz II Southern Gas Corridor project will result in a $2 billion foreign investment in Georgia the largest ever in the country. Gas from Shah Deniz II is expected to begin flowing in 2019. 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% in 2009 as foreign direct investment and workers' remittances declined in the wake of the global financial crisis. The economy rebounded in 2010-13 but FDI inflows the engine of Georgian economic growth prior to the 2008 conflict have not recovered fully. Unemployment has also remained high. Georgia has historically suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however since 2004 the government 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. The government has received high marks from the World Bank for its anti-corruption efforts. Since 2012 the Georgian Dream-led government has continued the previous administration's low-regulation low-tax free market policies while modestly increasing social spending strengthening anti-trust policy and amending the labor code to comply with International Labor Standards. The government published its 2020 Economic Development Strategy in early 2014 and former Prime Minister Bidzina IVANISHVILI launched the Georgian Co-Investment Fund a $6 billion private equity fund that will invest in tourism agriculture logistics energy infrastructure and manufacturing. In mid-2014 Georgia signed an association agreement with the European Union paving the way to free trade and visa-free travel.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 118

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 56

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 149

Gross national saving:
Rank: 96

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 72.3%
Government consumption: 17.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 22.4%
Investment in inventories: 3.6%
Exports of goods and services: 46.3%
Imports of goods and services: -62.1%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9.1%
Industry: 21.8%
Services: 69.1%

Agriculture products: citrus grapes tea hazelnuts vegetables; livestock

Industries: steel machine tools electrical appliances mining (manganese copper gold) chemicals wood products wine

Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% (2014 est.)
Rank: 18

Labor force: 1.959 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 124
By occupation agriculture: 55.6%
By occupation industry: 8.9%
By occupation services: 35.5%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 143

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 9.2% (2010 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 31.3%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 32

Budget
Revenues: $4.594 billion
Expenditures: $5.048 billion
Surplus or deficit: -2.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 106

Taxes and other revenues: 28.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 98

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt and includes debt instruments issued by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities; Georgia does not maintain intra-governmental debt or social funds
Rank: 109

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 138

Central bank discount rate:
Note: this is the Refinancing Rate the key monetary policy rate of the National Bank of Georgia
Rank: 100

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 63

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 122

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 130

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 110

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 109

Current account balance:
Rank: 129

Exports:
Rank: 117
Commodities: vehicles ferro-alloys fertilizers nuts scrap metal gold copper ores
Partners: Azerbaijan 24.3% Armenia 9% Turkey 7% Ukraine 6.3% Bulgaria 5.6% US 5.1% Russia 4.4% Germany 4.1% (2013)

Imports:
Rank: 110
Commodities: fuels vehicles machinery and parts grain and other foods pharmaceuticals
Partners: Turkey 16% China 8.3% Ukraine 7.7% Azerbaijan 7.3% Russia 6.7% Germany 5.6% Romania 4.5% US 4.3% Japan 4% (2013)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 108

Debt external:
Rank: 98

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 86

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 76

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 9.694 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 98
Consumption: 9.379 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 89
Exports: 930 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 61
Imports: 614 million kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 75
Installed generating capacity: 4.35 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 77
Generation sources fossil fuels: 38.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 171
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 94
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 61.2% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 33
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 178

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 103
Crude oil exports: 531 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 69
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 190
Crude oil proven reserves: 35 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 82

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 147
Products consumption: 16,790 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 139
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products exports rank: 179
Products imports: 18,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 107

Natural gas
Production: 9.151 million m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 90
Consumption: 1.776 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 81
Exports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 102
Imports: 1.77 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 53
Proven reserves: 8.495 billion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 82

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 6.258 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 121

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.1 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22
Fixed lines rank: 73
Mobile cellular total: 5.4 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 109
Mobile cellular rank: 114

Telephone system
General assessment: fixed-line telecommunications network has limited coverage outside Tbilisi; multiple mobile-cellular providers provide services to an increasing subscribership throughout the country
Domestic: cellular telephone networks cover the entire country; mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 100 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi
International: country code - 995; the Georgia-Russia fiber-optic submarine cable provides connectivity to Russia; international service is available by microwave landline and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available

Broadcast media: 1 public broadcaster in Tbilisi 1 state-owned broadcaster in Ajaria Autonomous Republic; 8 privately owned TV stations; state run public broadcaster operates 2 TV stations; dozens of cable TV operators several major commercial TV stations and several dozen private radio stations; state run public broadcaster operates 2 radio stations (2012)

Internet
Country code: .ge
Users total: 2.5 million
Users percent of population: 50.6%
Users rank: 91

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 27

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 is 18 months (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 22 (2013)
Rank: 135
With paved runways total: 18
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 2
With unpaved runways total: 4
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 1596 km; oil 1175 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 1363 km
Broad gauge: 1326 km 1.520-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 78

Roadways
Total: 19,109 km
Paved: 19,109 km (2010)
Rank: 113

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 142
By type: bulk carrier 13 cargo 114 chemical tanker 1 container 1 liquefied gas 1 passenger/cargo 1 petroleum tanker 3 refrigerated cargo 1 roll on/roll off 5 vehicle carrier 2
Foreign owned: 95
Registered in other countries: 1 (2010)
Rank: 40

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Black Sea - 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
IDPs: 232,700 (2014)
Stateless persons: 770

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