Area: 69,700 sq km (N.B. 20% of Georgia’s territory is not under Georgian Government control.)
Georgia Population: 4.4 million
Capital City: Tbilisi (population: 1.1 million)
People: 71% Georgian (including subgroups of Svanetians, Mingrelians, Ajars), 7.7% Armenian, 6.5% Russian, 6% Azeri, 3% Ossete, 1.8% Abkhaz
Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7% note: Abkhaz (official in Abkhazia)
Religion(s): Orthodox 84%, Muslim 9%, Armenian Apostolic 4%,
Currency: Lari (GEL)
Major political parties: United National Movement (currently in power), New Rights, Republican Party, Free Democrats, Labour Party, Conservative Party, Christian Democratic Movement, People’s Party, Democratic Movement-United Georgia, Republican Party, National Forum.
Government: Georgia is a republic with executive, legislative and judicial branches. Unicameral Parliament consisting of 150 members (75 elected by party list and 75 by single-member districts). The President appoints the cabinet, subject to approval by the legislature. There is universal suffrage for all those aged 18 and over.
EU & Georgia: Georgia signed a Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA) with the EU in July 1999. In 2006, Georgia signed up to a five-year European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) Action Plan, which aims to fulfill the conditions set out in the PCA and contribute to closer political and economic co-operation between Georgia and the EU.