THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA: General information

The Republic of Georgia is lies at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, in Transcaucasia. It is a small country, total area forms 69.700 sq.km and is limited by coordinates 41.05''-43.35''N latitude and 40.07''-46.44''E longitude. In the North, Georgia has a border with Russia. In the East and South-east neigbours are Azerbaijan and Armenia, in the South - Turkey. From the West, territory is washed by the Black Sea. Total length of borders is 1968,8 km, 308,4 km are sea borders and 1660,4 km land borders. Western Georgia belongs to the Black Sea basin, Eastern Georgia - to the Caspian Sea basin. This is mainly mountain country. Elevation ranges from 0 up to 5068m a.s.l. (Mt. Shkhara), the mean absolute height is 1508m a.s.l. Only 11,4% of total area are located within limits of absolute heights 0-200m a.s.l., 34,7% - 200-1000 m and 53,9% - more 1000m a.s.l. The capital city Tbilisi (1300000) founded in 4 c AD. State language - the Georgian.
Population 5456000 (1990): Georgians (71,4%), Armenians (7,7%), Russians (6,5%), Azerbaijanis (4,6), Ossets (3,0%), Abkhazians (1,8%), Greeks (1,8%), Ukrainians (1,1%), Kurds (0,5%), Jews (0,4), over 80 nationalities (1,2%).

On May 26, 1918 independence of Georgia was declared and Georgian Democratic Republic was created. In February 1921 the Soviet Power was established.
On April 9, 1991 the state independence of Georgia was restored and on July 31, 1992 Georgia became the member of United Nations.