GEOGRAPHY
Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and
Russia
Geographic coordinates:
42 00 N, 43 30 E
Map references: Commonwealth
of Independent States
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: NA
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 Mqinvartsveri (Gora Kazbek) 5,048
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: 9%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 28% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,000 sq
km (1993 est.)
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,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Desertification
