| Location: |
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia |
| Geographic coordinates: |
42 00 N, 43 30 E |
| Map references: |
Asia |
| 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) |
| 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 |