Georgia

• 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

• 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:

1.81 cu km/yr (20%/22%/58%)

per capita:

410.6 cu m/yr (2005)

• 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

noun:

Georgian(s)

adjective:

Georgian

at birth:

1.08 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.12 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.66 male(s)/female

total population:

0.91 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

total number:

113,106

percentage:

18 % (2005 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Georgia

local long form:

none

local short form:

Sak'art'velo

former:

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

name:

Tbilisi

geographic coordinates:

41 41 N, 44 50 E

time difference:

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

• 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)

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court (organized into several specialized judicial chambers; number of judges determined by the president of Georgia);
• 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 (town) and district courts

• Christian Democratic Movement [Giorgi AKHVELDIANI]
• Conservative Party [Zviad DZIDZIGURI]
• European Democrats [Paata DAVITAIA]
• For Fair Georgia [Zurab NOGAIDELI]
• Free Georgia [Kakha KUKAVA]
• 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 [Irakli GARIBASHVILI]
• Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]
• Georgian Troupe [Jondi BAGHTURIA]
• 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 [Pikria CHIKHRADZE]
• Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD) [Irakli KADAGIDZE]
• People's Party [Koba DAVITASHVILI
• Republican Party [Khatuna SAMNIDZE]
• Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI]
• United National Movement or UNM [Vano MERABISHVILI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Archil GEGESHIDZE (since 12 April 2013)

chancery:

2209 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 387-2390

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-0864

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Richard NORLAND (since 25 July 2012)

embassy:

11 George Balanchine Street, T'bilisi 0131

mailing address:

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

telephone:

[995] (32) 227-70-00

FAX:

[995] (32) 253-23-10

• 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

agriculture:

55.6%

industry:

8.9%

services:

35.5% (2006 est.)

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

31.3% (2008)

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 (2011)

• 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)

total:

1,612 km

country comparison to the world: 78

broad gauge:

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

narrow gauge:

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

total:

19,109 km

country comparison to the world: 113

paved:

19,109 km (includes 69 km of expressways) (2010)

Georgian Armed Forces:

• Land Forces (include Air and Air Defense Forces);
• separatist Abkhazia Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Air Forces;
• separatist South Ossetia Armed Forces

note: Georgian naval forces have been incorporated into the coast guard, which is not part of the Defense Ministry (2011)

males age 16-49:

1,080,840

females age 16-49:

1,122,031 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

893,003

females age 16-49:

931,683 (2010 est.)

male:

29,723

female:

27,242 (2010 est.)

IDPs:

up to 206,600 (displaced in the 1990s as a result of armed conflict in the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; displaced in 2008 by fighting between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia) (2013 est.)

stateless persons:

1,156 (2012)

• 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