This article is about the country. For the U.S. state, see Georgia (U.S. state). For other uses, see Georgia (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 42°00′N 43°30′E
Georgia
საქართველო
Sakartvelo
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:
ძალა ერთობაშია
Dzala Ertobashia
Strength is in Unity
Anthem:
თავისუფლება
Tavisupleba
Freedom
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Georgia proper shown in dark green; areas outside of Georgian control shown in light green.
Georgia proper shown in dark green; areas outside of Georgian control shown in light green.
Capital Tbilisi
Kutaisi (legislative)
41°43′N 44°47′E
Largest city Tbilisi
Official languages Georgian[1]
Ethnic groups (2014) Georgians – 86.8%
Azerbaijanis – 6.2%
Armenians – 4.5%
Others – 2.8%
Demonym Georgian
Government Unitary semi-presidential republic[a]
• President Giorgi Margvelashvili
• Speaker of the Parliament David Usupashvili
• Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Legislature Parliament
Independence
• from the Russian Empire 26 May 1918
• Soviet re-conquest 25 February 1921
• from the Soviet Union
Declared
Finalized
9 April 1991
25 December 1991
Area
• Total 69,700 km2 (120th)
26,911 sq mi
Population
• 2016 estimate 3,720,400[b][2] (131st)
• 2014 census 3,713,804[b][3]
• Density 53.5/km2 (137th)
138.6/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2015 estimate
• Total $35.6 billion[4] (117th)
• Per capita $9,500[5]
GDP (nominal) 2015 estimate
• Total $14.372 billion[6]
• Per capita $3,863[6]
Gini (2013) 40.0[7]
medium
HDI (2014) Increase 0.754[8]
high · 76th
Currency Georgian lari (₾) (GEL)
Time zone GET (UTC+4)
Drives on the right
Calling code +995
ISO 3166 code GE
Internet TLD .ge .გე
a. ^ Moved in 2013 from a president-parliamentary system to a premier-presidential system.
b. ^ Excluding occupied territories.
Georgia (Listeni/ˈdʒɔːrdʒə/; Georgian: საქართველო, tr. Sakartvelo, IPA: [sɑkʰɑrtʰvɛlɔ] ( listen)) is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital and largest city is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 square kilometres (26,911 sq mi), and its 2015 population is about 3.75 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy.
During the classical era, several independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia. The kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia adopted Christianity in the early 4th century. A unified Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 11th–12th centuries. Thereafter the area was dominated by various large empires for centuries, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and successive dynasties of Iran. In the late 18th century, the kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti forged an alliance with the Russian Empire, and the area was annexed by Russia in 1801. The latter's rule over Georgia was confirmed in 1813 through the Treaty of Gulistan with Qajar Iran. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia obtained independence, though only briefly, and established its first-ever republic under German and British protection, only to be invaded by Soviet Russia in 1921 and subsequently absorbed into the Soviet Union as the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.
After restoring its independence once again in 1991, post-communist Georgia suffered from civil and economic crisis for most of the 1990s. This lasted until the peaceful Rose Revolution, when Georgia pursued a strongly pro-Western foreign policy, introducing a series of democratic and economic reforms aimed at NATO and European integration. The country's Western orientation soon led to the worsening of relations with Russia, culminating in the brief Russo-Georgian War.
Georgia is a member of the Council of Europe and the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development. It contains two de facto independent regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which gained limited international recognition after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Georgia and a major part of the international community consider the regions to be part of Georgia's sovereign territory under Russian military occupation.[9]
