Geography of Georgia
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) |
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 |