Citizens of Georgia call their country "Sakartvelo" in Georgian. Their language is written in the unique Georgian script.

Georgia is located on the east coast of the Black Sea and shares land borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia. The territory of the country is 69,700 sq. km. and is largely mountainous, including the Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south.

According to the 2002 census the population of Georgia is 4.4 million; 83.8% of the total population are ethnic Georgians, 6.5% are Azeris, 5.7% Armenians, 1.5% Russians, and 2.5% of other ethnic origins.

The country became independent in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Georgia is a presidential republic that adopted its present Constitution on 24 August 1995. After the rose revolution in 2003 the new Georgian government embarked on a series of comprehensive reforms aimed at improving the social and economic conditions of citizens. Still, the reduction of poverty remains a key challenge, as over half the population lives below the poverty line.

Map of Georgia