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 in 1921 and regained its independence when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Mounting public discontent over rampant corruption and ineffective government services, followed by 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. In the aftermath of that popular movement, which became known as the "Rose Revolution," new elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his United National Movement party. Progress on market reforms and democratization has been made in the years since independence, but this progress has been complicated by Russian assistance and support to the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Periodic flare-ups in tension and violence culminated in a five-day conflict in August 2008 between Russia and Georgia, including the invasion of large portions of undisputed Georgian territory. Russian troops pledged to pull back from most occupied Georgian territory, but in late August 2008 Russia unilaterally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Russian military forces remain in those regions.

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

slightly smaller than South Carolina

warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4,570,934 (July 2012 est.)

10.75 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

10.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-3.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

TBILISI (capital) 1.115 million (2009)

67 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

1.46 children born/woman (2012 est.)

4.538 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

3.32 beds/1,000 population (2007)

fewer than 100 (2009 est.)

9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika)

9 April 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier date: A.D. 1008 (Georgia unified under King BAGRAT III)

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

adopted 24 August 1995

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Parliament or Parlamenti (also known as Supreme Council or Umaghlesi Sabcho) (235 seats; 150 members elected by proportional representation, 85 elected by the majority system; members to serve four-year terms)

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]; Conservative Party [Kakha KUKAVA]; Democratic Movement United Georgia [Nino BURJANADZE]; For Fair Georgia [Zurab NOGAIDELI]; 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 [Bidzina IVANISHVILI]; Georgian Party [Erpso KITSMARIASHVILI and Irakli OKRUASHVILI]; Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; 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 [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD) [Irakli ALASANIA]; People's Party [Koba DAVITASHVILI; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI]; Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI]; United National Movement or UNM [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]

separatists in the occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

ADB, BSEC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-11, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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; although adopted as the official Georgian flag in 2004, the five-cross flag design appears to date back to the 14th century

Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes, citrus fruits, and hazelnuts; mining of manganese, copper, and gold; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports nearly all its needed supplies of natural gas and oil products. It has sizeable hydropower capacity that now provides most of its energy needs. Georgia has overcome the chronic energy shortages and gas supply interruptions of the past by renovating hydropower plants and by increasingly relying on natural gas imports from Azerbaijan instead of from Russia. Construction of the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline, and the Kars-Akhalkalaki Railroad are part of a strategy to capitalize on Georgia's strategic location between Europe and Asia and develop its role as a transit point for gas, oil, and other goods. Georgia's economy sustained GDP growth of more than 10% in 2006-07, based on strong inflows of foreign investment and robust government spending. However, GDP growth slowed following the August 2008 conflict with Russia, and turned negative in 2009 as foreign direct investment and workers' remittances declined in the wake of the global financial crisis. The economy rebounded in 2010-11, with growth rates above 6% per year, but FDI inflows, the engine of Georgian economic growth prior to the 2008 conflict, have not recovered fully. Unemployment has also remained high at 16%. Georgia has historically suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however, the government, since coming to power in 2004, has simplified the tax code, improved tax administration, increased tax enforcement, and cracked down on petty corruption, leading to higher revenues. The economic downturn of 2008-09 eroded the tax base and led to a decline in the budget surplus and an increase in public borrowing needs. The country is pinning its hopes for renewed growth on a determined effort to continue to liberalize the economy by reducing regulation, taxes, and corruption in order to attract foreign investment, with a focus on hydropower, agriculture, tourism, and textiles production. Since 2004, the government has taken a series of actions against endemic corruption, including reform of the traffic police and implementation of a fair examination system for entering the university system. The government has received high marks from the World Bank for its anti-corruption efforts.

$24.86 billion (2011 est.)

$23.24 billion (2010 est.)

$21.87 billion (2009 est.)

$14.35 billion (2011 est.)

1.945 million (2010 est.)

31.2% of GDP (2011 est.)

28.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

-4.6% of GDP (2011 est.)

6.5% (31 January 2012)

8% (25 December 2008)

25.87% (31 December 2011 est.)

24.213% (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.436 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.312 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$4.249 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$3.546 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$5.026 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$3.96 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$795.7 million (31 December 2011)

$1.06 billion (31 December 2010)

$733.3 million (31 December 2009)

citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock

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

-$1.845 billion (2011 est.)

-$1.469 billion (2010 est.)

$2.189 billion (2011 est.)

$2.462 billion (2010 est.)

vehicles, ferro-alloys, fertilizers, nuts, scrap metal, gold, copper ores

Azerbaijan 17.5%, Turkey 10.5%, Armenia 10%, Kazakhstan 7.3%, Ukraine 6.2%, US 5.5%, Canada 5.2%, Bulgaria 4.7% (2011)

$7.058 billion (2011 est.)

$5.049 billion (2010 est.)

fuels, vehicles, machinery and parts, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals

Turkey 17.8%, Ukraine 10%, Azerbaijan 8.3%, China 7.6%, Germany 6.9%, Russia 5.7% (2011)

$2.818 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$2.264 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$11.08 billion (31 December 2011)

$10.77 billion (31 December 2010)

$NA $9.133 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

laris (GEL) per US dollar -

10.1 billion kWh (2011 est.)

9.256 billion kWh (2011 est.)

931 million kWh (2011 est.)

471 million kWh (2011 est.)

4.538 million kW (2009 est.)

37.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

62.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

1,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

820 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

35 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

858 bbl/day (2008 est.)

17,280 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

18,500 bbl/day (2008 est.)

10 million cu m (2010 est.)

1.65 billion cu m (2010 est.)

1.64 billion cu m (2010 est.)

8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

5.302 million Mt (2010 est.)

1.342 million (2011)

1 state-owned public TV station in Tbilisi and 8 privately-owned TV stations; state-run public broadcaster operates 2 networks; dozens of cable TV operators and several major commercial TV stations are operating; state-owned public radio broadcaster operates 2 networks; several dozen private radio stations (2008)

gas 1,596 km; oil 1,258 km (2010)

large parts of transportation network are in poor condition because of lack of maintenance and repair

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

18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)

1.9% of GDP (2010 est.)

Russia's military support and subsequent recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence in 2008 continue to sour relations with Georgia

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