Georgia

Republic of GeorgiaSak'art'velos Respublika

republicIndependence 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Georgia as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 82 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalT'bilisi

Area69,700 sq km

LocationSouthwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey

Populationas each edition published it

5.73 million July 1995 est. · 5.57m in 1992

Population growth% a year

0.77% 1995 est. · 0.85% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 34.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

73.1 years 1995 est. · 72.58 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.16 children per woman 1995 est. · 2.2 in 1992

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

22.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 34 in 1992

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,060 1994 est. · $1,390 in 1994

GDP real growth% a year

-30% 1994 est. · -35% in 1993

Geography

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey | and Russia

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Land useshare of 69,700 sq km

arable land 11%permanent crops 4%meadows and pastures 29%forest and woodland 38%other 18%irrigated 4,660 sq km (1990)

Area

69,700sq km

land area: 69,700 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than South Carolina

Coastline

310km

Maritime claims: NA

Land boundaries

1,461km

total · Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km

Location

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

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;
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

Natural resources

forest lands, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ores, copper, minor coal and oil deposits;
coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth

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
natural hazards:: NA
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Desertification

People

15 fields

Population

5,725,972

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 0.77% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

15.77Death

8.73Net migration

0.66

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years73.1

69.43 · 76.95

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy99%

100% · 98%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1989)

Ethnic divisions

Georgian 70.1%Armenian 8.1%Russian 6.3%Azeri 5.7%Ossetian 3%Abkhaz 1.8%other 5%

Religions

Georgian Orthodox 65%Russian Orthodox 10%Muslim 11%Armenian Orthodox 8%unknown 6%

Labor force

2.763million

by occupation: industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44% (1990)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 24% (female 674,331; male 707,355)
15-64 years:: 64% (female 1,894,681; male 1,791,847)
65 years and over:: 12% (female 410,703; male 247,055) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

22.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Georgian(s)
adjective:: Georgian

Languages

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

Government

Republic; Chairman of Parliament Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (Chairman of the Government Council since 10 March 1992; Prime Minister Otar PATSATSIA (since September 1993)

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Names

conventional long form:: Republic of Georgia
conventional short form:: Georgia
local long form:: Sak'art'velos Respublika
local short form:: Sak'art'velo
former:: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika); Abkhazia (Sokhumi), Ajaria (Bat'umi) note: the administrative centers of the autonomous republics are included in parentheses; there are no oblasts - the rayons around T'bilisi are under direct republic jurisdiction

Independence

9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 May (1991)

Constitution

adopted 21 February 1921; currently amending constitution for Parliamentary and popular review by late 1995

Legal system

based on civil law system

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: Chairman of Parliament Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (Chairman of the Government Council since 10 March 1992; elected Chairman of Parliament in 11 October 1992; note - the Government Council has since been disbanded);
election last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held October 1995);
results - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 95%
head of government:: Prime Minister Otar PATSATSIA (since September 1993);
Deputy Prime Ministers Avtandil MARGIANI, Zurab KERVALISHVILI (since 25 November 1992), Tamaz NADAREISHVILI (since September 1993), Temur BASILIA (since 17 March 1994), Bakur GULA (since NA)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers

Legislative branch

unicameral

Georgian Parliament (Supreme Soviet)

elections last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held October 1995);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (225 total) number of seats by party NA

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

Citizens Union (CU), Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, Zurab SHVANIA, general secretary;
National Democratic Party (NDP), Georgi (Gia) CHANTURIA, Ivane GIORGADZE;
United Republican Party, umbrella organization for parties including the GPF and the Charter 1991 Party, cochairmen Bakhtand DZABIRADZE, Notar NATADZE, and Theodor PAATASHVILI;
Georgian Popular Front (GPF), Nodar NATADZE, chairman;
Charter 1991 Party, Thedor PAATASHVILI;
Georgian Social Democratic Party (GSDP), Guram MUCHAIDZE, secretary general;
National Reconstruction and Rebirth of Georgia Union, Valerian ADVADZE;
Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Irakli SHENGELAYA;
Democratic Georgia Union (DGU), El'dar SHENGELAYA;
National Independence Party (NIP), Irakliy TSERETELI, chairman;
Georgian Monarchists' Party (GMP), Temur ZHORZHOLIANI;
Green Party, Zurab ZHVANIA;
Republican Party (RP), Ivliane KHAINDRAVA;
Workers' Union of Georgia (WUG), Vakhtang GABUNIA;
Agrarian Party of Georgia (APG), Roin LIPARTELIANI;
Choice Society (Archevani), Jaba IOSELIANI, chairman;
Georgian Workers Communist Party, Panteleimon GIORGADZE, chairman;
National Liberation Front, Tengiz SIGULA, chairman

Other political or pressure groups

supporters of ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January 1994) boycotted the October elections and remain a source of opposition

Member of

BSEC, CCC, CIS, EBRD, ECE, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Tedo JAPARIDZE
chancery:: (temporary) Suite 424, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:: [1] (202) 393-6060, 5959

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Kent N. BROWN
embassy:: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [7] (8832) 98-99-67, 93-38-03

FAX

[7] (8832) 93-37-59

Flag

maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below

Economy

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GDP per capita, PPP

$1,060

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

-30%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -27% (1993); accounts for 36% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

40.5%per month

(2nd half 1993 est.)

Unemployment rate

officially less than · but real unemployment may be more than 20%, with even larger numbers of underemployed workers

Installed generating capacity, 4,410,000 kW

Electricity production

9.1 billionElectricity consumption per capita

1,526 (1993)

Overview

Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and a small industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products.

Its only sizable domestic energy resource is hydropower. Since 1990, widespread conflicts, e.g., in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Mingreliya, have severely aggravated the economic crisis resulting from the disintegration of the Soviet command economy in December 1991. Throughout 1993 and 1994, much of industry was functioning at only 20% of capacity;

heavy disruptions in agricultural cultivation were reported; and tourism was shut down. The country is precariously dependent on US and EU humanitarian grain shipments, as most other foods are priced beyond reach of the average citizen. Georgia is also suffering from an acute energy crisis, as it is having problems paying for even minimal imports.

Georgia is pinning its hopes for recovery on reestablishing trade ties with Russia and on developing international transportation through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi. The government began a tenuous program in 1994 aiming to stabilize prices and reduce large consumer subsidies.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $6 billion (1994 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1992)

Budget

revenues:: $NA
expenditures:: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Exports

$NA

commodities:: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products;
diverse types of machinery;
ferrous and nonferrous metals;
textiles;
chemicals;
fuel re-exports
partners:: Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan (1992)

Imports

$NA

commodities:: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and parts, transport equipment
partners:: Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (1993); note - EU and US sent humanitarian food shipments

External debt

NA (T'bilisi owes about $400 million to Turkmenistan for natural gas as of January 1995)

Industries

heavy industrial products include raw steel, rolled steel, airplanes;
machine tools, foundry equipment, electric locomotives, tower cranes, electric welding equipment, machinery for food preparation and meat packing, electric motors, process control equipment, instruments;
trucks, tractors, and other farm machinery;
light industrial products, including cloth, hosiery, and shoes;
chemicals;
wood-working industries;
the most important food industry is wine

Agriculture

accounted for 97% of former USSR citrus fruits and 93% of former USSR tea;
important producer of grapes;
also cultivates vegetables and potatoes;
dependent on imports for grain, dairy products, sugar;
small livestock sector

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy;
mostly for domestic consumption;
used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Economic aid

recipient:: heavily dependent on US and EU for humanitarian grain shipments;
EC granted around $70 million in trade credits in 1992 and another $40 million in 1993;
Turkey granted $50 million in 1993;
smaller scale credits granted by Russia and China

Currency

coupons introduced in April 1993 to be followed by introduction of the lari at undetermined future date; in July 1993 use of the Russian ruble was banned

Exchange rates

coupons per $US1 - 1,280,000 (end December 1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

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Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 28 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

33,900Railroads

1,570

Highways: paved and graveled: 29,500 km · unpaved: earth 4,400 km (1990) · Railroads: ; does not include industrial lines · broad gauge: 1,570 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Railroads

total:: 1,570 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
broad gauge:: 1,570 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Highways

total:: 33,900 km
paved and graveled:: 29,500 km
unpaved:: earth 4,400 km (1990)

Pipelines

crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas 440 km (1992)

Ports

Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi

Merchant marine

total:: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 419,416 GRT/640,897 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 11, cargo 1, oil tanker 19, short-sea passenger 1

Note

transportation network is in poor condition and disrupted by ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

672,000 telephones (mid-1993);
117 telephones/1,000 persons;
poor telephone service;
339,000 unsatisfied applications for telephones (December 1990)

local:: NA
intercity:: NA
international:: links via landline to CIS members and Turkey;
low-capacity satellite link and leased international connections via the Moscow international gateway switch with other countries;
international electronic mail and telex service available