Georgia Geography Profile 2002

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

NA

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: 11.21%
permanent crops: 4.09%
other: 84.7% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

4,700 sq km (1998 est.)

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

Group

All, OREA, Russia/Eurasia

Geography - note

strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them