Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
The region of present-day Georgia once contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis (known as Egrisi locally) and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D., and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Persian, Arab, and Turk domination was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short when the Mongols invaded in 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century.
- Capital
- Tbilisi
- Government
- semi-presidential republic
- Population
- 4,900,961
- Area
- 69,700 sq km
- Location
- Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia, with a sliver of land north of the Caucasus extending into Europe;
- Climate
- warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
- Natural resources
- timber; hydropower; manganese deposits; iron ore; copper; minor coal and oil deposits…
- Languages
- Georgian (official) 87.6%; Azeri 6.2%; Armenian 3.9%; Russian 1.2%…
- Religions
- Eastern Orthodox Christian (official) 83.4%; Muslim 10.7%; Armenian Apostolic Christian 2.9%; other 1.2% (includes Roman Catholic Christian…
- Independence
- 9 April 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier date: A.D.
- Administrative divisions
- 9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (kalaki), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - av…
- Currency
- laris (GEL)
- Export partners
- Azerbaijan 13%; Turkey 11%; Armenia 11%; Russia 10%…
- Import partners
- Turkey 16%; USA 13%; Russia 11%; China 8%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain