no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government
Independence date
9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Religions
Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census)
Sunni Muslim
Languages
Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7% note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Exports
scrap metal, wine, mineral water, ores, vehicles, fruits and nuts
External Debt
$11,080,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
laris (GEL) per US dollar - 1.47 (2008 est.), 1.7 (2007), 1.78 (2006), 1.8127 (2005), 1.9167 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
6
0
Location
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Area
69,700 km sq
637,657 km sq
Coastline
310 km
3,025 km
Climate
warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
