|
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)
|
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
63.3 cu km (1997)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total: 3.61 cu km/yr (20%/21%/59%)
per capita: 808 cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
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
|
