]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia ^# 42 00 N, 43 30 E ^$ Asia ^% `! 69,700 sq km `" 69,700 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& slightly smaller than South Carolina ^' `! 1,461 km `Y Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km ^( 310 km ^) `$ 12 nm `N 200 nm ^* 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 ^, `% Black Sea 0 m `& Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m ^- forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth ^. `' 11.51% `( 3.79% `) 84.7% (2005) ^/ 4,690 sq km (2003) ^0 earthquakes ^1 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 _P `P Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them 
]# ^3 4,646,003 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 16.7% (male 413,506/female 364,407) `, 66.6% (male 1,489,081/female 1,605,021) `- 16.7% (male 311,098/female 462,890) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 38 years `. 35.5 years `/ 40.4 years (2007 est.) ^6 -0.329% (2007 est.) ^7 10.54 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -4.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.14 male(s)/female `1 1.135 male(s)/female `, 0.928 male(s)/female `- 0.672 male(s)/female `2 0.91 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 17.36 deaths/1,000 live births `. 19.42 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 15.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 76.3 years `. 73 years `/ 80.07 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.42 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 3,000 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 200 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Georgian(s) `4 Georgian ^B Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%, other 2.5% (2002 census) ^C Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census) ^D Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7% `* Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 100% `. 100% `/ 100% (2004 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 none `7 Georgia `Z none `[ Sak'art'velo `\ Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic ^H republic ^I `8 T'bilisi `9 41 43 N, 44 49 E `: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 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, Tbilisi, Tqibuli, Tsqaltubo, Zugdidi autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi) `* the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are shown in parentheses ^K 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union) ^L 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 ^M adopted 24 August 1995 ^N based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; 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 `< 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 of Ministers `> president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 January 2004 (next to be held in late 2008) `? Mikheil SAAKASHVILI elected president; percent of vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 96.3%, Temur SHASHIASHVILI 1.9% ^Q 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) `> last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in spring 2008) `? percent of vote by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 67.6%, Rightist Opposition 7.6%, other parties 24.8%; seats by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 135, Rightist Opposition 15 ^R 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 ^S Burjanadze-Democrats [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 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 Rights [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] ^T Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile; separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia ^U ACCT (observer), BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Vasil SIKHARULIDZE `S 1101 15th Street NW, Suite 602, Washington, DC 20005 `T [1] (202) 387-2390 `U [1] (202) 393-4537 ^W `R Ambassador John F. TEFFT `_ 11 George Balanchine Street, T'bilisi 0131 `` 7060 T'bilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060 `T [995] (32) 27-70-00 `U [995] (32) 53-23-10 ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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. Due to concerted reform efforts, collection rates have improved considerably to roughly 60%, both in T'bilisi and throughout the regions. 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 remains a drain on the economy. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages due to aging and badly maintained infrastructure, as well as poor management. 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 have compounded the pressure on the country's inefficient energy sector. Restructuring the sector and finding energy supply alternatives to Russia remain major challenges. ^Z $17.79 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $5.272 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 8.8% (2006 est.) ^] $3,800 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 17.7% `A 27.5% `B 54.8% (2006 est.) ^_ 2.04 million (2004 est.) ^` `@ 40% `A 20% `B 40% (1999 est.) ^a 12.6% (2004 est.) _! 54% (2001 est.) _" `C 2.3% `D 27.9% (1996) _d 38 (2003) _# 10% (2006 est.) _V 30% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $1.726 billion `F $1.879 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _& citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock _' steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine _( 3% (2000) _) 6.804 billion kWh (2004) _* 8.528 billion kWh (2004) _+ 200 million kWh (2004) _, 2.4 billion kWh (2004) _- 1,981 bbl/day (2004) _. 13,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 20 million cu m (2004 est.) _2 1.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) _X NA cu m _Y 1.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) _Q $-735 million (2006 est.) _3 $1.761 billion (2006 est.) _4 scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea, wine _5 Russia 18.1%, Turkey 14.3%, Azerbaijan 9.8%, Turkmenistan 8.9%, Bulgaria 5%, Armenia 4.7%, Ukraine 4.4%, Canada 4.2% (2005) _6 $3.32 billion (2006 est.) _7 fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals _8 Russia 15.4%, Turkey 11.4%, Azerbaijan 9.4%, Ukraine 8.8%, Germany 8.3%, US 6% (2005) _[ $492 million (2006 est.) _9 $2.04 billion (2004) _: ODA, $150 million (2000 est.) _; lari (GEL) _< lari per US dollar - 1.78 (2006), 1.8127 (2005), 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 683,200 (2004) _? 1.459 million (2005) _@ `G NA `H local - T'bilisi, K'ut'aisi, and Batumi 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 `I 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 _A AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998) _B 12 (plus repeaters) (1998) _C .ge _D 10,752 (2006) _E 175,600 (2005) 
]' _F 23 (2006) _G `! 19 `a 1 `J 7 `b 5 `c 4 `W 2 (2006) _R `! 4 `b 1 `c 2 `W 1 (2006) _] 3 (2006) _^ gas 1,349 km; oil 1,010 km (2006) _e `! 1,612 km `r 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified) `n 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2005) _H `! 20,247 km `K 7,973 km `L 12,274 km (2004) _S `! 222 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,059,386 GRT/1,538,746 DWT by type: bulk carrier 27, cargo 176, container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 `X 188 (Albania 1, Azerbaijan 2, Belgium 1, China 2, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Egypt 8, Germany 1, Greece 8, Indonesia 1, South Korea 1, Lebanon 7, Monaco 13, Romania 11, Russia 28, Slovakia 1, Slovenia 1, Syria 43, Turkey 30, UAE 1, UK 4, Ukraine 22) (2006) _I Bat'umi, P'ot'i _i transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair 
]( _J Ground Forces (includes National Guard), Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006) _T 18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005) _K males age 18-49: 1,038,736 females age 18-49: 1,105,910 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 827,281 females age 18-49: 903,791 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 38,857 females age 18-49: 38,238 (2005 est.) _U 0.59% (2005 est.) _M 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 
]) _N 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 _c `k 220,000-240,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2006) _O 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 