Georgia

Airports

total: 37 usable: 27 with permanent-surface runways: 14 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 10 with runways 1,060-2,439 m: 4 note: a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip

Highways

total: 33,900 km paved and gravelled: 29,500 km unpaved: earth 4,400 km (1990)

Merchant marine

41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 575,823 GRT/882,110 DWT, bulk cargo 14, oil tanker 27

Note

transportation network is disrupted by ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages

Pipelines

crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas 440 km (1992)

Ports

coastal - Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi

Railroads

1,570 km, does not include industrial lines (1990)

Telecommunications

poor telephone service; as of mid-1993, 672,000 telephone lines providing 14 lines per 100 persons; 339,000 unsatisfied applications for telephones (31 December 1990); international links via landline to CIS members and Turkey; low capacity satellite earth station and leased international connections via the Moscow international gateway switch with other countries; international electronic mail and telex service available

Branches

Army, Air Force, Navy, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GNP

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,362,818; fit for military service 1,081,624; reach military age (18) annually 42,881 (1994 est.)

Note

Georgian forces are poorly organized and not fully under the government's control

Agriculture

accounts for 41% of GDP; accounted for 97% of former USSR citrus fruits and 93% of former USSR tea; important producer of grapes; also cultivates vegetables and potatoes; dependent on imports for grain, dairy products, sugar; small livestock sector

Budget

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Currency

coupons introduced in April 1993 to be followed by introduction of the lari at undetermined future date; in July 1993 use of the Russian ruble was banned

Economic aid

recipient: heavily dependent on US for humanitarian grain shipments; EC granted around $70 million in trade credits in 1992 and another $40 million in 1993; Turkey granted $50 million in 1993; smaller scale credits granted by Russia and China

Electricity

capacity: 4,875,000 kW production: 15.8 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,835 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

NA

Exports

$NA commodities: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products; diverse types of machinery; ferrous and nonferrous metals; textiles; chemicals; fuel re-exports partners: Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan (1992)

External debt

$100 million to $200 million (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Imports

$NA commodities: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and parts, transport equipment partners: Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (1993)

Industrial production

growth rate -27% (1993); accounts for 36% of GDP

Industries

heavy industrial products include raw steel, rolled steel, airplanes; machine tools, foundry equipment, electric locomotives, tower cranes, electric welding equipment, machinery for food preparation and meat packing, electric motors, process control equipment, instruments; trucks, tractors, and other farm machinery; light industrial products, including cloth, hosiery, and shoes; chemicals; wood-working industries; the most important food industry is wine

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

40.5% per month (2nd half 1993 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $7.8 billion (1993 estimate from the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as extrapolated to 1993 using official Georgian statistics, which are very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)

National product per capita

$1,390 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

-35% (1993 est.)

Overview

Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and a small industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and coal. Its only sizable domestic energy resource is hydropower. Since 1990, widespread conflicts, e.g., in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Mengrelia, severely aggravated the economic crisis resulting from the disintegration of the Soviet command economy in December 1991. Throughout 1993, much of industry was functioning at only 20% of capacity; heavy disruptions in agricultural cultivation were reported; and tourism was shut down. The country is precariously dependent on US and EU humanitarian grain shipments, as most other foods are priced beyond reach of the average citizen. Georgia is also suffering from an acute energy crisis, as it is having problems paying for even minimal imports. Georgia is pinning its hopes for recovery on reestablishing trade ties with Russia and on developing international transportation through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi.

Unemployment rate

officially less than 5% but real unemployment may be up near 20%, with even larger numbers of underemployed workers; real unemployment may be up near 20% with even larger numbers of underemployed workers

Area

total area: 69,700 sq km land area: 69,700 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than South Carolina

Climate

warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Coastline

310 km

Environment

current issues: air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of safe drinking water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

4,660 sq km (1990)

Land boundaries

total 1,461 km, Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km

Land use

arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% meadows and pastures: NA% forest and woodland: NA% other: NA%

Location

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

Map references

Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

note: 12 nm in 1973 USSR-Turkish Protocol concerning the sea boundary between the two states in the Black Sea; Georgia claims the coastline along the Black Sea as its international waters, although it cannot control this area and the Russian navy and commercial ships transit freely

Natural resources

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

Terrain

largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; 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

Administrative divisions

2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika); Abkhazia (Sokhumi), Ajaria (Bat'umi) note: the administrative centers of the autonomous republics are included in parentheses; there are no oblasts - the rayons around T'bilisi are under direct republic jurisdiction

Capital

T'bilisi

Constitution

adopted NA February 1921; currently amending constitution for Parliamentary and popular review by late 1995

Digraph

GG

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Petr CHKHEIDZE chancery: (temporary) Suite 424, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC telephone: (202) 393-6060

Executive branch

chief of state: Chairman of Parliament Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (since 10 March 1992); election last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA 1995); results - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 95% head of government: Prime Minister Otar PATSATSIA (since September 1993); Deputy Prime Ministers Avtandil MARGIANI, Zurab KERVALISHVILI (since NA), Tamaz NADARISHVILI (since September 1993), Teimuraz BASILIA (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers

FAX

(7) 8832-93-37-59

Flag

maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below

Georgian Parliament (Supreme Soviet)

elections last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (225 total) number of seats by party NA; note - representatives of 26 parties elected; Peace Bloc, October 11, Unity, National Democratic Party, and the Greens Party won the largest representation

Independence

9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

BSEC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, IBRD, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, IOC, ITU, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Georgia conventional short form: Georgia local long form: Sak'art'velos Respublika local short form: Sak'art'velo former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

National holiday

Independence Day, 9 April (1991)

Other political or pressure groups

supporters of ousted President Zuiad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January 1994) boycotted the October elections and remain a source of opposition and instability

Political parties and leaders

Merab Kostava Society, Vazha ADAMIA, chairman; Traditionalists' Union, Akaki ASATIANI, chairman; Georgian Social Democratic Party, Guram MUCHAIDZE, chairman; Green Party, Zurab ZHVANIA, chairman; Georgian Popular Front (GPF), Nodar NATADZE, chairman; National Democratic Party (NDP), Gia CHANTURIA, chairman; National Independence Party (NIP), Irakliy TSERETELI, chairmen; Charter 1991 Party, Tedo PATASHVILI, chairman; Peace Bloc; Unity; October 11

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Kent N. BROWN embassy: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: (7) 8832-98-99-68

Birth rate

16.11 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

8.69 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%

Infant mortality rate

23.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

2.763 million by occupation: industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44% (1990)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.84 years male: 69.16 years female: 76.7 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 9-49 can read and write (1970) total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

Nationality

noun: Georgian(s) adjective: Georgian

Net migration rate

0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

5,681,025 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

0.81% (1994 est.)

Religions

Georgian Orthodox 65%, Russian Orthodox 10%, Muslim 11%, Armenian Orthodox 8%, unknown 6%

Total fertility rate

2.18 children born/woman (1994 est.)