Georgia (2002) | Sudan (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | 9 regions, (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 9 cities* (k'alak'ebi, singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics** (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika); Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika** (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika** (Bat'umi), Chiat'ura*, Gori*, Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, K'ut'aisi*, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, P'ot'i*, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Rust'avi*, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli, T'bilisi*, Tqibuli*, Tsqaltubo*, Zugdidi*
note: the administrative centers of the 2 autonomous republics are shown in parentheses |
26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif, Al Wahdah, An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah, Bahr al Jabal, Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb Kurdufan, Janub Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal, Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 19% (male 481,669; female 462,966)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 1,631,351; female 1,752,230) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 246,663; female 386,072) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,730,609; female 8,358,569)
15-64 years: 54.1% (male 10,588,634; female 10,571,199) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 490,869; female 408,282) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | citrus, grapes, tea, vegetables, potatoes; livestock | cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock |
Airports | 31 (2001) | 63 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2002) |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 15
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 6 (2002) |
total: 63
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 69,700 sq km
land: 69,700 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 2,505,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than South Carolina | slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US |
Background | Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Ethnic separation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, poor governance, and Russian military bases deny the government effective control over the entirety of the state's internationally recognized territory. Despite myriad problems, progress on market reforms and democratization support the country's goal of greater integration with Western political, economic, and security institutions. | Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years of this period (1972-82). The wars are rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. Since 1983, the war and war- and famine-related effects have led to more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people displaced. The ruling regime is a mixture of military elite and an Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern opposition parties have made common cause with the southern rebels and entered the war as a part of an anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several accords, including a cease-fire agreement. |
Birth rate | 11.48 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 35.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $499 million
expenditures: $554 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
revenues: $2.402 billion
expenditures: $2.546 billion, including capital expenditures of $304 million (2003 est.) |
Capital | Tbilisi | Khartoum |
Climate | warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast | tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November) |
Coastline | 310 km | 853 km |
Constitution | adopted 17 October 1995 | 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Georgia local long form: none local short form: Sak'art'velo former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan local short form: As-Sudan former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan |
Currency | lari (GEL) | Sudanese dinar (SDD) |
Death rate | 14.61 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.7 billion (2001) | $16.09 billion (2003 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Richard MILES
embassy: #25 Atoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [995] (32) 989-967/68 FAX: [995] (32) 933-759 |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gerard M. GALLUCCI
embassy: Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (11) 774611 or 774700 FAX: [249] (11) 774137 note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum (see http://usembassy.egnet.net/sudan.htm) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Levan MIKELADZE
chancery: Suite 300, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390 FAX: [1] (202) 393-6060 |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001)
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406 |
Disputes - international | Chechen and other insurgents transit Pankisi Gorge to infiltrate Akhmeti region; boundary with Russia has been largely delimited, but not demarcated; several small, strategic segments remain in dispute | the north-south civil war has affected Sudan's neighbors by drawing them into the fighting and by forcing them to provide shelter to refugees, to contend with infiltration by rebel groups, and to serve as mediators; Sudan has provided shelter to Ugandan refugees and cover to Lord's Resistance Army soldiers; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary still extends into the Sudan, creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is economically developing and currently effectively administers the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of the Treaty Line; Sudan has pledged to work with the Central African Republic to stem violent skirmishes over water and grazing among related pastoral populations along the border |
Economic aid - recipient | ODA $150 million (2000 est.) | $172 million (2001) |
Economy - overview | Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as citrus fruits, tea, hazelnuts, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 1995, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. However, the Georgian government suffers from limited resources due to a chronic failure to collect tax revenues. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the T'bilisi distribution network in 1998, but collection rates are low, making the venture unprofitable. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and trade. The start of construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will bring much-needed investment and job opportunities in 2003. | Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, yet it still faces formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per capita output and extending to its devastating civil stife. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production, revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at 6.1% in 2003 and 7% in 2004. Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force and contributing 39% of GDP, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - including the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian/pagan south, the ethnic purges in Darfur, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years. |
Electricity - consumption | 7.886 billion kWh (2000) | 2.222 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 200 million kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 1.2 billion kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 7.404 billion kWh (2000) | 2.389 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 21%
hydro: 79% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m |
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m |
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 | inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought |
Environment - international agreements | 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5% | black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% |
Exchange rates | lari per US dollar - 2.1888 (January 2002), 2.0730 (2001), 1.9762 (2000), 2.0245 (1999), 1.3898 (1998), 1.2975 (1997) | Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 260.983 (2003), 263.306 (2002), 258.702 (2001), 257.122 (2000), 252.55 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March 1992; Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairman of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March 1992; Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairman of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: Eduard SHEVARDNADZE reelected president; percent of vote - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 80% |
chief of state: President Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA) election results: Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election note: BASHIR assumed supreme executive power in 1989 and retained it through several transitional governments in the early and mid-1990s before being popularly elected for the first time in March 1996 |
Exports | $515 million (2002 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea, wine | oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar |
Exports - partners | Russia 23.0%, Turkey 21.5%, Azerbaijan 3.3%, US 3.0%, Germany 2.5% (2001) | China 40.9%, Saudi Arabia 17.2%, UAE 5.4% (2003) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $15 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $70.95 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 20%
industry: 25% services: 55% (2002 est.) |
agriculture: 38.7%
industry: 20.3% services: 41% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2002 est.) | 5.9% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 42 00 N, 43 30 E | 15 00 N, 30 00 E |
Geography - note | strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them | largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries |
Heliports | - | 2 (2003 est.) |
Highways | total: 33,900 km
paved: 29,500 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 4,400 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990) |
total: 11,900 km
paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 28% (1996) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia | - |
Imports | $750 million (2002 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals | foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat |
Imports - partners | Turkey 15.3%, Russia 13.3%, Azerbaijan 10.7%, Germany 10.1%, US 4.1% (2001) | Saudi Arabia 16.3%, China 14.2%, UK 5%, Germany 4.9%, India 4.8%, France 4.1% (2003) |
Independence | 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union) | 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3% (2000) | 8.5% (1999 est.) |
Industries | steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese), chemicals, wood products, wine | oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly |
Infant mortality rate | 51.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 64.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 64.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.2% (2002 est.) | 8.8% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 6 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 4,700 sq km (1998 est.) | 19,500 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the president's recommendation); Constitutional Court | Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts |
Labor force | 2.1 million (2001 est.) | 11 million (1996 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | industry 20%, agriculture 40%, services 40% (1999 est.) | agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 1,461 km
border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km |
total: 7,687 km
border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km |
Land use | arable land: 11.21%
permanent crops: 4.09% other: 84.7% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 6.83%
permanent crops: 0.18% other: 92.99% (2001) |
Languages | Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia |
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process |
Legal system | based on civil law system | based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - CUG 41.85%, AGUR 25.65%, IWSG 7.8%, all other parties received less than 7% each; seats by party - CUG 130, AGUR 58, IWSG 15, Abkhaz (government-in-exile) deputies 12, independents 17, other 3 |
unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly elected, 90 elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as National Congress; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004) election results: NCP 355, others 5 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 64.67 years
male: 61.19 years female: 68.32 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 58.13 years
male: 56.96 years female: 59.36 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 100% female: 98% (1989 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia | Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea |
Map references | Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | NA | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Merchant marine | total: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 210,620 GRT/288,565 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 46, container 5, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belize 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Egypt 4, Gibraltar 1, Greece 5, Jordan 1, Latvia 1, Liberia 1, Malta 1, Panama 9, Romania 8, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Saudi Arabia 2, Syria 5, Turkey 2, Ukraine 7, United Arab Emirates 11, United Kingdom 1, United States 1 (2002 est.) |
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,466 GRT/26,973 DWT
by type: livestock carrier 1, roll on/roll off 2 registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.) |
Military - note | a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia | - |
Military branches | Ground Forces (includes National Guard), combined Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Forces, Republic Security and Police Forces (internal and border troops) | Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF), Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Forces |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $23 million (FY00) | $581 million (2001 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.59% (FY00) | 2.5% (1999) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,300,259 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 9,339,775 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,027,407 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 5,743,783 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 41,561 (2002 est.) | males: 442,242 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union | Independence Day, 1 January (1956) |
Nationality | noun: Georgian(s)
adjective: Georgian |
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sudanese |
Natural hazards | earthquakes | dust storms and periodic persistent droughts |
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 | petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower |
Net migration rate | -2.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas 440 km (1992) | gas 156 km; oil 2,365 km; refined products 810 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Citizen's Union of Georgia or CUG [Zarab ZHVANIA]; Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG [Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Salva NATELASHVILI]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Irina SARISHVILI-CHANTURIA]; New National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]; New Rightists [Levaii GACHECHILADZE]; Republican Party [David BERDZENISHVILI]; "Revival" Union Party or AGUR [Alsan ABASHIDZE]; Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI] | the government allows political "associations" under a 1998 law revised in 2000; to obtain government approval parties must accept the constitution and refrain from advocating or using violence against the regime; approved parties include the National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR], Popular National Congress or PNC [Hassan al-TURABI], and over 20 minor, pro-government parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Georgian independent deputies from Abkhazia (Abkhaz faction in Georgian Parliament); separatist elements in the breakaway region of Abkhazia; supporters of the late ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA remain a source of opposition | Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI]; National Congress Party [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR]; National Democratic Alliance [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI, chairman]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army [Dr. John GARANG]; Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI] |
Population | 4,960,951 (July 2002 est.) | 39,148,162 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 54% (2001 est.) | NA (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate | -0.55% (2002 est.) | 2.64% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi | Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998) | AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | 3.02 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total: 1,583 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
broad gauge: 1,546 km 1.520-m gauge narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (2000 est.) |
total: 5,978 km
narrow gauge: 4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km .600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2003) |
Religions | Georgian Orthodox 65%, Muslim 11%, Russian Orthodox 10%, Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6% | Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.2 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager service is available international: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available |
general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 620,000 (1997) | 900,000 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 185,500 (2000) | 650,000 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 12 (plus repeaters) (1998) | 3 (1997) |
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 | generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north |
Total fertility rate | 1.48 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 4.97 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Transportation - note | transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair | - |
Unemployment rate | 17% (2001 est.) | 18.7% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | none | 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2004) |