Georgia

• 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

total:

3.61 cu km/yr (20%/21%/59%)

per capita:

808 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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

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

at birth:

1.13 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.15 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.67 male(s)/female

total population:

0.91 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

noun:

Georgian(s)

adjective:

Georgian

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Georgia

local long form:

none

local short form:

Sak'art'velo

former:

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

name:

T'bilisi

geographic coordinates:

41 43 N, 44 47 E

time difference:

UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

• President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004);
• 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 Nikoloz GILAURI (since 6 February 2009);
• the president is both 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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 January 2008 (next to be held January 2013)

election results:

Mikheil SAAKASHVILI reelected president; percent of vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 53.5%, Levan GACHECHILADZE 25.7%, Badri PATARKATSISHVILI 7.1%

• 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

• Christian Democratic Movement [Giorgi TARGAMADZE];
• Democratic Movement United Georgia [Nino BURJANADZE];
• Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE];
• Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG [Panteleimon GIORGADZE];
• Georgia's Way Party [Salome ZOURABICHVILI];
• Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE];
• Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists) or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE];
• Labor Party [Shalva NATELASHVILI];
• National Council-New Rights (bloc forming joint opposition) [Levan GACHECHILADZE];
• National Democratic Party or NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA];
• United National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI];
• New Rights [David GAMKRELIDZE];
• Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI];
• Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI];
• Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI];
• Union of National Forces-Conservatives [Koba DAVITASHVILI and Zviad DZIDZIGURI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Batu KUTELIA

chancery:

2209 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 387-2390

FAX:

[1] (202) 393-4537

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador John F. TEFFT

embassy:

11 George Balanchine Street, T'bilisi 0131

mailing address:

7060 T'bilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060

telephone:

[995] (32) 27-70-00

FAX:

[995] (32) 53-23-10

• 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

agriculture:

55.6%

industry:

8.9%

services:

35.5% (2006 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.4%

highest 10%:

27% (2005)

general assessment:

• fixed-line telecommunications network has only limited coverage outside Tbilisi;
• long list of people waiting for fixed line connections;
• multiple mobile-cellular providers provide services to an increasing subscribership throughout the country

domestic:

• cellular telephone networks now cover the entire country;
• mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 75 per 100 people;
• urban fixed-line 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;
• 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

total:

1,612 km

country comparison to the world: 80

broad gauge:

1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified)

narrow gauge:

37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2008)

total:

20,329 km

country comparison to the world: 109

paved:

7,854 km (includes 13 km of expressways)

unpaved:

12,475 km (2006)

males age 16-49:

1,113,251

females age 16-49:

1,168,021 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

908,282

females age 16-49:

959,290 (2009 est.)

male:

32,355

female:

30,809 (2009 est.)

• a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group;
• a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia

• Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their common border, leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritime boundary unresolved;
• OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia;
• UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained a peacekeeping force in Georgia since 1993;
• Meshkheti Turks scattered throughout the former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia;
• boundary with Armenia remains undemarcated;
• ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian government;
• Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas

refugees (country of origin):

1,100 (Russia)

IDPs:

220,000-240,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2007)

• 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