General Information

Country name: (conventional long form) none, (conventional short form) Georgia

Area: 69 700 sq km

Population: 4 473 180 (2005)

Capital: Tbilisi

Population: 1 081 700

Ethnic groups: Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azerbaijani 5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%

Government: Republic. Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Head of State: President Mikheil Saakashvili since 2004
Head of Government: President Mikheil Saakashvili; Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania since 2004

Language: The official language is Georgian, the only language in the Ibera Caucasian family written in ancient script, with its own unique alphabet. Russian, Ossetian and Abkhazian are also spoken.
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Religion: Christian majority, mainly Georgian Orthodox church. Also Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish and other Christian denomination minorities

Time Zone: GMT +4

Electricity: 220V AC, 50Hz

Weights & measures: Metric

Visas: The information about visa regimes should be learned in Embassy of Georgia or in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ge/

Economy

Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as citrus fruits, tea, hazelnuts, and grapes; 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. Its only sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. 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 1995, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. However, the Georgian Government suffers from limited resources due to a chronic failure to collect tax revenues. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the Tbilisi distribution network in 1998, but collection rates are low, making the venture unprofitable. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and trade. The start of construction on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will bring much-needed investment and job opportunities.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) composition by sector: agriculture 18.3%, industry 19%, services 62.7% (2002)

Labor force (by occupation): industry 20%, agriculture 40%, services 40% (1999)

Unemployment rate: 17% (2001)

Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine

Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock

Exports - commodities: scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea, wine

Exports - partners: Turkey 21.7%, Italy 11.4%, Russia 10.7%, Greece 8.1%, Netherlands 7.1%, Spain 5.5%, Turkmenistan 4.5% (2002)

Imports - commodities: fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners: Azerbaijan 11.7%, Turkey 10.6%, US 10.4%, Russia 9.5%, Germany 7.4%, Ukraine 6%, Italy 5.3%, Bulgaria 5.1%, France 4.4% (2002)

Money

Currency: The national currency of the Republic of Georgia is the Lari consisting of 100 tetri. At present, banknotes with nominal values of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 Lari, as well as coins with nominal values of 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 tetri are in circulation

Currency exchange: Euros, Roubles or US Dollars can be exchanged at special exchange shops, while other currencies must be exchanged in banks

Exchange rate indicators: £1.00=3.36 lari, $1.00=1.77 lari (November 2004)
Website: http://www.nbg.gov.ge/NBG_New/home_nf1.htm

Banking hours: Mon-Fri 09.30-17.00

History

The nation’s history has been a constant struggle for survival, interspersed with brief interludes of peace. Georgia’s conversion to Christianity in the fourth century AD brought it into conflict with the major regional powers. For the next four centuries, despite brief periods of independence, Georgia’s various provinces were vassal states of, successively, Persia, Byzantium and the Arab Caliphs. Towards the end of the ninth century, a gradual process of uniting the provinces began. This was finally completed in 1122 when the regional capital of the Caliphs, Tblisi, fell to King David II. Georgia’s power and influence reached an apex during the late 12th and early 13th centuries under Queen Tamar. The Mongol invasions from 1220 onwards brought this ‘golden age’ to an end. Despite occasional resurgences, Georgia was never able to reassert itself and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 left it isolated from the rest of the Christian world. The Ottomans occupied Transcaucasia in the late 16th century but were driven out by the Iranian Shah Abbas who installed a dynasty of viceroys at Tblisi. Over the next 200 years, the Turks occasionally recovered control of the territory. But at the end of the 18th century, King Erekle II, a descendant of the Bagratids who ruled Georgia in the 12th century, forged a vital alliance with Catherine the Great of Russia, who was then presiding over the southward expansion of her empire. The Bagratid line was deposed by the Russians in 1801 after which the whole region was steadily absorbed into the Russian Empire.

Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Ethnic separation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, poor governance, and Russian military bases deny the government effective control over the entirety of the state's internationally recognized territory. Despite myriad problems, some progress on market reforms and democratization has been made. An attempt by the government to manipulate legislative elections in November 2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze, president since 1995.

The Saakashvili government has followed a consistent pro-Western line during recent years. It has invited US troops into Georgia to assist the Pankisi Gorge campaign, and the two countries have held a number of joint military exercises under the NATO ‘partnership for peace’ programme.

Culture

The classical monument of the Georgian folklore created in the 2th century BC is the epos about virgin Amirani. The first Georgian literary monuments concern to the 5th century AD. Many outstanding persons have enriched a literary heritage of Georgia. Among them are Shota Rustavely (12th century); Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliany, the author of the explanatory Georgian dictionary (1716); Ilya Chavchavadze, Alexander Kazbegi and Akakii Tseretely (19th century); Konstantin Gamsahurdia, Michael Dzhavahishvili and Anna Kalandadze (20th century). Top of the Georgian literature of the 12th centuries is ingenious epic poem by Shota Rustavely " The Hero in tiger skin ", containing great ideas of humanism, belief in a celebration of human reason, goods and validity.

The most ancient monuments of the fine arts of Georgia are products from gold, silver, bronze, ceramics, and a fine sculpture. In the Middle Ages the sculpture, a groove on a stone, a monumental paintings, a mosaic have received development. Enamels and an embroidery had world value minting on metal. The Georgian enamels, the embroidery and stamping on metal had the world value. Such Georgian artists, as legendary Niko Pirosmanishvily (Pirosmany), David Kakabadze, Lado Gudiashvily are renowned. Such Georgian sculptors, as Iraklii Ochiaury and Zurab Tsereteli are world famous.

Georgian song folklore and folk music differs a variety of forms, genres and styles. The prominent feature is polyphony and special voice technics. The Tbilisi opera was founded in 1851. In the beginning of the 20th centuries the first national operas created by Dimitrii Arakishvily, Zakharii Paliashvily have appeared. The Tbilisi conservatory has a deserved reputation of the educational center for preparing fine executors of classical music. Among them are pianists Alexander Toradze and Eliso Virsaladze, violinist Liane Isakadze, bass Paata Burchuladze, singer Nani Bregvadze.

Food in Georgia is one of the biggest attractions for visitors, and is the centrepiece of domestic cultural activity. Part of this family focus, and an unusual phenomenon for foreign visitors, is Georgian meal-time. Complicated ritual relationships are manifested in it. The table is led by tamada, who proposes traditional toasts throughout the meal.

Traditional Georgian mineral waters and fruit drinks have a well-deserved reputation. They are mostly sold in specialty shops. For thousands of kilometers around, Georgian wines are regarded as the best quality. The country's unique climate and soil quality have made it a major wine-making region for many thousands of years.

While surrounding countries use Cyrillic script when writing, Georgia goes it alone. The Georgian alphabet includes 33 symbols (5 vowels and 28 consonants). The shape of the letters is absolutely unique and it cannot be compared to any other existing alphabet.

Environment

Georgia occupies the central and eastern parts of the Caucasus. Its neighbours are the Russian Federation (to the north), Azerbaijan (east), Armenia (south) and Turkey (to the southeast). It is a mountainous country, with the northern boundary running along the Caucasus Mountains (Bolshoy Kavkaz) and the southern boundary hitting the mountains of the Little Caucasus (Malyy Kavkaz). Between these two ranges, plains extend west to the 330km (205mi) coastline of the Black Sea.

In spite of its relatively small size, Georgia is covered with a huge variety of flora, a result of the combination of western and eastern climates. The mountain ranges trap the weather within Georgia, contributing to the geographical and environmental isolation of the ecological systems and producing a high level of endemic variety. Forests constitute 38% of the country's territory and cover 2.7 million hectares (6.6 million acres) of the land mass. Georgia has about 100 species of animals, over 330 species of birds, 48 species of reptiles, 11 species of amphibians and about 160 species of fish.

The climate varies greatly, given Georgia's size, and covers different zones ranging from humid subtropical areas to regions containing snow and glaciers. A subtropical climate prevails in western Georgia (Cholkci), while a more moderate subtropical climate with considerably less rain is characteristic of the east. Tbilisi (a name which is derived from Tbili, the local word for warm) has an average winter temperature of 1°C (34°F) in January, but lives up to its name in summer: it enjoys an often balmy 25°C (77°F) in July.

Geology

Geological structure. The territory of Georgia belongs to a young alpine folded area and is divided into a number of structural units. The anticlinorium of the major range is located in the north in the axial zone of the Caucasus Mountains (Bolshoy Kavkaz). It is composed of Pre-Cambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic rocks broken through by granitoid and ultrabasic intrusions. Most ancient rocks forming the basement of the Caucasus Mountains are crystalline schist of the age of 870 million years and Upper Riphean green slate the age of which is more than 600 million years.

In the east, ancient rocks subside under Jurassic slate. Folded beds of the major range thrust over the folded system of the southern slope of the Caucasus Mountains composed of Jurassic schist series, the flysch bed of the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Eocene, weakly metamorphosed terrigenic rocks of the Silurian–Triassic, Jurassic porphyritic series and carbonaceous rocks of the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous. Each of those zones thrusts over the zone next to it from north to south. The Quaternary Period is characterized by an outburst of land volcanism.

To the south of the Caucasus Mountains structures (from Colchis lowland to outer Kakhetia) Georgian block is located, which is an intermediate mass consolidated for the major part in the Hercynian stage of tectonic development (approximately 200 million years ago). The block basement composed of metamorphic rocks and granitoids of the Pre-Cambrian–Paleozoic (Dzirulsky massif) subsides under Verkhneimeretskoe plateau in the west and east. The sedimentary cover comprises red limestone, porphyritic rocks, coal-bearing deposits and sandy–clayey formations of the Jurassic, carbonaceous deposits of the Cretaceous–Eocene, molassa sediments: lower clayey molassa of the Oligocene–Miocene (Maikopskaya series) and the upper rudaceous molassa (sandstone, conglomerates) of the Miocene–Lower Pliocene. In the Middle Jurassic, porphyritic rocks were formed. In Colchis lowland, anthropogenic deposits are abundant for the major part continental and crumpled in gentle folds. To the south, Adzhar-Trialetskaya folded system, which is composed of thick volcanogenic and carbonaceous deposits of the Cretaceous and Paleogene terrigenous and volcanogenic deposits, extends in latitudinal direction. Rocks are flattened into line folds complicated with thrusts. In Borzhomi–Bakuriani area anthropogenic land volcanism is manifested. Still further to the south, Dzhavakhetskoe highland is located, composed of Pliocene and Pleistocene andesite and basalt lavas. Eruption centers are located at seismically active meridional faults. To the east of the highland, basement ledges are revealed that are overlapped by Jurassic terrigenous beds of small thickness and volcanic rocks and limestone of the Cretaceous.

Natural resources. Major useful minerals are manganese ore (Chiaturskoe deposit of the Oligocene age), coal (Tkibuli, Tkvarcheli), and oil (Colchis, Outer Kakheti) associated with Mesozoic, Paleogenic and Neogenic deposits. In the southern slope of the Caucasus Mountains, polymetallic and arsenical antimony deposits are known. In the south, there is a large deposit of copper. Construction materials (marble, schist, tuff, cement raw materials and others) are abundant. There are numerous mineral and thermal springs.

Getting Around

Large towns (with population): Tbilisi (1 081 700), Kutaisi (186 000), Batumi (121 800), Rustavi (116 400), Sukhumi (81 546), Poti (47 100). The last population census was held in 2002

Public transport is reasonably priced and quite regular in the capital, with an underground train system, bus, cable-car and trams all plying the streets of Tbilisi. Locals have recently been issuing warnings about theft on the underground. Taxis are mainly privately owned cars but registered taxis are also available from designated areas.

Aside from Tbilisi, roads are generally in poor condition and lack shoulder markings and centre lines. Driving at night can be especially dangerous, and there have been reports of tourists being robbed and car jacked, though it's certainly not the norm; even so, stop only for police or the military.

The Transcaucasian Railway main line connects two railway branches, from Baku (Azerbaijan) and from Yerevan (Armenia). The main line stretches towards Russia through Georgia, along the Black Sea coastline. Currently the line is blocked due to the conflict in Abkhazia, so rail travel in the north and west is very difficult. Travel elsewhere is possible, though train services are infrequent to some destinations. Buses regularly run from Tbilisi to regional centres in Georgia as well as to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey.

Accommodation

Hotels Hotels in Georgia were mainly state-owned. Much has changed recently, with many hotels now privatised and standards of tourist facilities far higher than in previous years. Tbilisi has luxury hotels with correspondingly high prices, one of which also houses the British Embassy. There are also a number of good hotels in Batumi and Kutaisi. Some of the large public hotels now provide temporary accommodation for refugees from Abkhazia and do not serve tourists. Most of the accommodation facilities currently available in Georgia are bed & breakfast-type smaller hotels and guest houses typically serving eight to 16 guests, often with shared bathroom facilities. In rural areas, visitors can stay as guests in private houses.
Website: http://georgia.allrussiahotels.com/