Geography of Georgia (country): Difference between revisions

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	{{POV\|date=May 2008}}
	] ] (green) and ] (purple).]]
	''']''' is situated in Southwestern ], bordering the ], between ] and ]. Located in the region known as the Caucasus or Caucasia, Georgia is a small country of approximately 69,875 ]— about the size of ]. To the north and northeast, Georgia borders the ]n republics of ], ], and ] (all of which began to seek autonomy from Russia in 1992)as well as the Republics of ] and ], which it claims but has never controlled since independence. Neighbors to the south are ], ], and Turkey. The shoreline of the Black Sea constitutes Georgia's entire western border.

	See also ].

	''']:'''
	{{coor dm\|42\|00\|N\|43\|30\|E\|type:country}}

	== Europe or Asia? ==
	Georgia occupies central and western parts of the ], with a smaller portion lying in the ]. Since the ] crest is frequently considered a boundary between ] and ], Georgia can be regarded as a ] at the juncture of ] and ]. Many sources, however, tend to give precedence either to European or Asian location. Thus, The ] places Georgia in ]; the ] ] , , and '''' also place Georgia in Asia. Conversely, numerous sources place Georgia in Europe such as the ], ] , ''Oxford Reference Online'' , '''', and .

	==Topography==
	]
	]
	Despite its small area, Georgia has one of the most varied topographies of the former Soviet republics. Georgia lies mostly in the ], and its northern boundary is partly defined by the Greater Caucasus range. The Lesser Caucasus range, which runs parallel to the Turkish and Armenian borders, and the Surami and Imereti ranges, which connect the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus, create natural barriers that are partly responsible for cultural and linguistic differences among regions. Because of their elevation and a poorly developed transportation infrastructure, many mountain villages are virtually isolated from the outside world during the winter. ]s and ]s in mountainous areas present a significant threat to life and property. Among the most recent natural disasters were massive rock- and mudslides in Ajaria in 1989 that displaced thousands in southwestern Georgia, and two earthquakes in 1991 that destroyed several villages in northcentral Georgia and South Ossetia.

	Georgia has about 25,000 rivers, many of which power small ] stations. Drainage is into the ] to the west and through ] to the ] to the east. The largest river is the ] (formerly known by its Azerbaijani name, ''Kura'', which is still used in Azerbaijan), which flows 1,364 ] from northeast Turkey across the plains of eastern Georgia, through the capital, Tbilisi, and into the Caspian Sea. The ], the largest river in western Georgia, rises in the Greater Caucasus and empties into the Black Sea at the port of ]. Soviet engineers turned the river lowlands along the Black Sea coast into prime subtropical agricultural land, embanked and straightened many stretches of river, and built an extensive system of canals. Deep mountain gorges form topographical belts within the Greater Caucasus.

	==Climate==

	Georgia's climate is affected by ] influences from the west and ] influences from the east. The Greater Caucasus range moderates local climate by serving as a barrier against cold air from the north. Warm, moist air from the Black Sea moves easily into the coastal lowlands from the west. Climatic zones are determined by distance from the Black Sea and by altitude. Along the Black Sea coast, from ] to the Turkish border, and in the region known as the ] inland from the coast, the dominant subtropical climate features high humidity and heavy precipitation (1000 to 2000 ] per year; the Black Sea port of Batumi receives 2500 mm per year). Several varieties of ] grow in these regions, where the midwinter average temperature is 5 ] and the midsummer average is 22 °C.

	The plains of eastern Georgia are shielded from the influence of the Black Sea by mountains that provide a more ]. Summer temperatures average 20 to 24 °C, winter temperatures 2 to 4 °C. Humidity is lower, and rainfall averages 500 to 800 mm per year. ] and ] regions in the east and west, as well as a ] region on the Iori Plateau to the southeast, have distinct microclimates.

	At higher elevations, precipitation is sometimes twice as heavy as in the eastern plains. In the west, the climate is subtropical to about 650 ]; above that altitude (and to the north and east) is a band of moist and moderately warm weather, then a band of cool and wet conditions. Alpine conditions begin at about 2100 m, and above 3600 m snow and ice are present year-round.

	==Environmental issues==

	Beginning in the 1980s, Black Sea pollution has greatly harmed Georgia's tourist industry. Inadequate sewage treatment is the main cause of that condition. In Batumi, for example, only 18 percent of wastewater is treated before release into the sea. An estimated 70 percent of surface water contains health-endangering bacteria to which Georgia's high rate of intestinal disease is attributed.

	The war in Abkhazia did substantial damage to the ecological habitats unique to that region. In other respects, experts considered Georgia's environmental problems less serious than those of more industrialized former Soviet republics. Solving Georgia's environmental problems was not a high priority of the national government in the post-Soviet years, however; in 1993 the minister for protection of the environment resigned to protest this inactivity. In January 1994, the Cabinet of Ministers announced a new, interdepartmental environmental monitoring system to centralize separate programs under the direction of the Ministry of Protection of the Environment. The system would include a central environmental and information and research agency. The Green Party used its small contingent in the parliament to press environmental issues in 1993.

	'''Natural hazards:'''
	]s

	'''Environment - current issues:'''
	], particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; ] from toxic chemicals

	'''Environment - international agreements:'''
	<br>''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
	<br>''signed, but not ratified:''
	none of the selected agreements

	==Area and boundaries==
	'''Area:'''
	<br>''total:''
	69,700 km²
	<br>''land:''
	69,700 km²
	<br>''water:''
	0 km²

	'''Area - comparative:'''
	slightly smaller than South Carolina (US) or ] (EU)

	'''Land boundaries:'''
	<br>''total:''
	1,461 km
	<br>''border countries:''
	] 164 km, ] 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km

	'''Coastline:'''
	310 km

	'''Maritime claims:'''
	NA

	'''Elevation extremes:'''
	<br>''lowest point:''
	Black Sea 0 m
	<br>''highest point:''
	Mt'a Shkhara 5201 m (peak is not in Georgia)<br>
	Mt'a Mq'invartsveri (]) at 5048 m is the highest peak in Georgia.

	==Resources and land use==
	'''Natural resources:'''
	forests, hydropower, ] deposits, ] ore, ], minor ] and ] deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important ] and ] growth

	'''Land use:'''
	<br>''arable land:''
	9%
	<br>''permanent crops:''
	4%
	<br>''permanent pastures:''
	25%
	<br>''forests and woodland:''
	34%
	<br>''other:''
	28% (1993 est.)

	'''Irrigated land:'''
	4,000 km² (1993 est.)

	== Gallery of Georgia ==
	<center>
	<gallery>
	Image:JvariMtskheta.jpg\| 4th Century Jvari Church
	Image: Gremi.jpg\| Gremi Church
	Image:Ananuridc.jpg\| 10th Century Ananuri Church
	Image: GWS Versuchsweinberge.JPG\| Kakheti vineyards
	Image:Central part of Tbilisi.jpg\| Tbilisi
	Image:5463456.jpg\| Gagra
	Image:Building of the City Council.jpg\| Sukhumi
	Image:724900.jpg\| Medieval fortress of Varzia
	Image:Bakuriani Winter.jpg\| Bakuriani
	Image:VittfarneGeorgien 155.jpg\| Northern Georgia
	Image:View on Caucasus.jpg\|River valleys in the Caucasus
	Image:Gergeti Sameba Church.jpg\|14th Century Gergeti Sameba Church
	Image: DSCN3638.jpg\| Mountain landscape
	</gallery>
	</center>
	==See also==
	*]
	*]
	*]

	==References==
	*{{loc}}
	*{{factbook}}

	{{Geography of Europe}}
	{{Geography of Asia}}

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Revision as of 23:37, 4 September 2008