Facts about  Georgia                                                                         

Country official name: Georgia
Local short form: Sak'art'velo
Former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Capital: Tbilisi
Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia
Geographic coordinates: Between 40' and 47' latitude East and 41, and 44' longitude North
Time zone: GMT+3
Area total: 69,700 sq km
Land boundaries total: 1,461 km
Border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km
Coastline: 310 km
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 Mqinvartsveri 5,048 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: 9%
Permanent crops: 4%
Permanent pastures: 25%
Forests and woodland: 34%
Other: 28% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes
Population: 5,019,538 (July 2000 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Georgian(s)
Adjective: Georgian
Ethnic groups:
Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%
Religions:
Christian Orthodox 75% (Georgian Orthodox 65%, Russian Orthodox 10%), Muslim 11%, Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%
State Language:
Georgian (official - the Kartvelian group of the Iberian - Caucasian language), on the territory of Abkhazia - Georgian and Abkhazian
State Symbolics:
The Flag and the Emblem of Georgia

Government

Executive Branch: President's Administration and Prime Minister's Office
Elections: President elected by popular vote for a five-year term

Presidential Election last held on 4 January 2004
Election results:

The President of Georgia: Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili

Prime Minister: Mr. Zurab Noghaideli

Chairman of Parliament: Ms. Nino Burjanadze

Legislative branch:  Unicameral Parliament

Election: members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); election last held 28 March 2004

Judicial branch
Supreme Court, judges elected by the Supreme Council on the president's recommendation;
Constitutional Court Legal system: based on civil law system

Administrative divisions:
The country consists of Autonomous Republics of Adjara and Abkhazia, 9 regions, and Tskhinvali region, the status of which has not yet been distinguished, 65 districts and 8 city units

Official holidays

1 January New Year's day
7 January Christmas Day
19 January Epiphany
3 March Mothers day
8 March Women's Day
9 April National Day
22 April Easter
24 April Easter Monday
9 May National Holiday
12 May St. Andrew's day
26 May Independence Day
28 August Mariamoba (Assumption)
14 October Svetiskhovloba (Georgian Orthodox Festival)
23 November Giorgoba (St. George's day)

Measures: Metric units
Currency GEL: Georgian Lari (1GEL = 100 tetri)