Independence Year : 1991
Population : 4968000
Life Expectancy : 64.5
Capital : 905
GNP : 6064.00
GNP Old : 5924.00
Local Name : Sakartvelo
Government Form : Republic
Location : Southwestern Asia, South Caucasus, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia.
Terrain : Mostly rugged and mountainous
Climate : Generally moderate; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast with cold winters in the mountains.
Ethnic Group : Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%. (1989 est.)
Religions : Main religion is Greek Orthodoxy (65%), other confessional groups include Shiite and Sunni Muslims (11%), Armenian Gregorians, Catholics, Baptists, Judaists.
Official Website :
www.parliament.ge/
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General Information - Georgia
Background
Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Russian troops remain garrisoned at four military bases and as peacekeepers in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (but are scheduled to withdraw from two of the bases by July 2001).
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 a badly degraded transportation network - brought on by ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages - the country continues to move toward a market economy and greater integration with Western institutions.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
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