Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia
Geographic coordinates:
42 00 N, 43 30 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 69,700 sq km
land:
69,700 sq km
water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 1,461 km
border countries:
Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km
Coastline:
310 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
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 Shkhara 5,201 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: 11.51%
permanent crops:
3.79%
other:
84.7% (2005)
Irrigated land:
4,690 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
63.3 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 3.61 cu km/yr (20%/21%/59%)
per capita:
808 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them
