Georgia

§1. Georgia Introduction

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 until the Soviet
  Union dissolved in 1991. 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. New elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI
  into power along with his National Movement Party. Progress on market
  reforms and democratization has been made in the years since independence,
  but this progress has been complicated by two civil conflicts in the
  breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These two territories
  remain outside the control of the central government and are ruled by de
  facto, unrecognized governments, supported by Russia. Russian-led
  peacekeeping operations continue in both regions. The Georgian Government
  put forward a new peace initiative for the peaceful resolution of the
  status of South Ossetia in 2005.

§2. Georgia Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
  42 00 N, 43 30 E

Map references:
  Asia

Area:
  total: 69,700 km²
  land: 69,700 km²
  water: 0 km²

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
  total: 1,461 km
  border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey
    252 km

Coastline:
  310 km

Maritime claims:
  NA

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

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

Land use:
  arable land: 11.51%
  permanent crops: 3.79%
  other: 84.7% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  4,700 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  earthquakes

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

Environment - 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
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

§3. Georgia People

Population:
  4,661,473 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 17.3% (male 428,056/female 380,193)
  15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,482,908/female 1,602,064)
  65 years and over: 16.5% (male 308,905/female 459,347) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 37.7 years
  male: 35.3 years
  female: 40.1 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  -0.34% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  10.41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  9.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -4.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.15 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.13 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 (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 17.97 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 20.06 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 15.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 76.09 years
  male: 72.8 years
  female: 79.87 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.42 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  3,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Georgian(s)
  adjective: Georgian

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

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

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

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 100%
  male: 100%
  female: 100% (2004 est.)

§4. Georgia Government

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:
  T'bilisi

Administrative divisions:
  9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 9 cities (k'alak'ebi, singular -
  k'alak'i), 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
  : cities: Chiat'ura, Gori, K'ut'aisi, P'ot'i, Rust'avi, T'bilisi, Tqibuli,
    Tsqaltubo, Zugdidi
  : autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika
    (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi)
  note: the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are shown
    in parentheses

Independence:
  9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

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

Constitution:
  adopted 24 August 1995

Legal system:
  based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); note
    - 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 Zurab NOGHAIDELI (since 17
  February 2005); note - the president is 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; election
    last held 4 January 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
  election results: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI elected president; percent of vote -
    Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 96.3%, Temur SHASHIASHVILI 1.9%

Legislative branch:
  unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or
  Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats - 150 elected by party lists); members are
  elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
  elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held spring 2008)
  election results: percent of vote by party - National Movement-Democratic
    Front 67.6%, Rightist Opposition 7.6%, all other parties received less
    than 7% each; seats by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 135,
    Rightist Opposition 15

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:
  Burjanadze-Democrats [Nino BURJANADZE]; Georgian People's Front [Nodar
  NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG [Panteleimon GIORGADZE];
  Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists)
  or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Shalva NATELASHVILI]; National
  Democratic Party or NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Movement Democratic
  Front [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI] bloc composed of National Movement and
  Burjanadze-Democrats; National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]; New Right
  [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI]; Rightist
  Opposition [David GAMKRELIDZE] bloc composed of Industrialists and New
  Right Party; Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists
  [Akaki ASATIANI]; Union of National Forces-Conservatives [Koba DAVITASHVILI
  and Zviad DZIDZIGURI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile; separatists
  in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; supporters of
  former President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA ousted in 1991

International organization participation:
  ACCT (observer), BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
  ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
  IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP,
  UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Vasil SIKHARULIDZE
  chancery: Suite 602, 1101 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
  telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390
  FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT
  embassy: 11 George Balanchine St., T'bilisi 0131
  mailing address: 7060 Tbilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060
  telephone: [995] (32) 27-70-00
  FAX: [995] (32) 53-23-10

Flag description:
  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

§5. Georgia Economy

Economy - overview:
  Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural
  products such as grapes, citrus fruits, and hazelnuts; mining of manganese
  and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and
  nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country
  imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil
  products. It has sizeable but underdeveloped hydropower capacity. Despite
  the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia,
  with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic
  gains since 2000, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation.
  Georgia had suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues;
  however, the new government is making progress and has reformed the tax
  code, improved tax administration, increased tax enforcement, and cracked
  down on corruption. In addition, the reinvigorated privatization process
  has met with success, supplementing government expenditures on
  infrastructure, defense, and poverty reduction. Despite customs and
  financial (tax) enforcement improvements, smuggling is a drain on the
  economy. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages due to aging and badly
  maintained infrastructure, as well as poor management. Due to concerted
  reform efforts, collection rates have improved considerably to roughly 60%,
  both in T'bilisi and throughout the regions. Continued reform in the
  management of state-owned power entities is essential to successful
  privatization and onward sustainability in this sector. The country is
  pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a transit state for
  pipelines and trade. The construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil
  pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline have brought
  much-needed investment and job opportunities. Nevertheless, high energy
  prices in 2006 will compound the pressure on the country's inefficient
  energy sector. Restructuring the sector and finding energy supply
  alternatives to Russia remain major challenges.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $15.55 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $6.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $3,300 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 16%
  industry: 26.8%
  services: 57.2% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  2.04 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  12.6% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  54% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 2.3%
  highest 10%: 27.9% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  38 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  8% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  26.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $1.43 billion
  expenditures: $1.56 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Agriculture - products:
  citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  3% (2000)

Electricity - production:
  8.634 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  9.8 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:
  71 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
  1.2 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
  1,982 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
  13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  20 million m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  1.5 billion m³ (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  NA m³

Natural gas - imports:
  1.5 billion m³ (2005 est.)

Current account balance:
  $-439.3 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $1.4 billion (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea, wine

Exports - partners:
  Turkey 18.3%, Turkmenistan 17.8%, Russia 16.2%, Armenia 8.4%, UK 4.9%
  (2004)

Imports:
  $2.5 billion (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods,
  pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:
  Russia 14%, Turkey 10.9%, UK 9.3%, Azerbaijan 8.5%, Germany 8.2%, Ukraine
  7.7%, US 6% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $350.1 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $2.04 billion (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
  ODA, $150 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):
  lari (GEL)

Exchange rates:
  lari per US dollar - 1.8127 (2005), 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957
  (2002), 2.073 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Georgia Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  683,200 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  840,600 (2004)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: NA
  domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone networks;
    urban 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; Georgia and Russia are working on a
    fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international
    service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the
    Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are
    available

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  12 (plus repeaters) (1998)

Internet country code:
  .ge

Internet hosts:
  8,942 (2005)

Internet users:
  175,600 (2005)

§7. Georgia Transportation

Airports:
  25 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 19
  over 3,047 m: 1
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
  914 to 1,523 m: 4
  under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 6
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
  914 to 1,523 m: 1
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

Heliports:
  3 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 1,697 km; oil 1,027 km; refined products 232 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 1,612 km (1,612 km electrified)
  broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified)
  narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 20,247 km
  paved: 7,973 km
  unpaved: 12,274 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
  total: 192 ships (1000 GRT or over) 936,396 GRT/1,373,814 DWT
  by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 23, cargo 150, container 4,
    liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 4,
    refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1
  foreign-owned: 157 (Albania 1, Azerbaijan 2, Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Ecuador
    1, Egypt 6, Estonia 1, Germany 1, Greece 5, Indonesia 1, South Korea 1,
    Lebanon 5, Monaco 12, Romania 8, Russia 20, Slovenia 1, Syria 37, Turkey
    24, Ukraine 23, UAE 1, UK 5) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Bat'umi, P'ot'i

Transportation - note:
  transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic conflict,
  criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and
  repair

§8. Georgia Military

Military branches:
  Ground Forces (includes National Guard), Air and Air Defense Forces, Navy
  (2006)

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)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 1,038,736 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 827,281 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 38,857 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $23 million (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  0.59% (FY00)

Military - note:
  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

§9. Georgia Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  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 and internally displaced persons:
  IDPs: 260,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2005)

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


<Factbook 2006>
