next spring. After two years of robust growth, the economy, hurt by
the financial crisis in Russia, slowed in 1998.

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

People

Population: 5,066,499 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 544,055; female 522,491)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,628,993; female 1,753,527)
65 years and over: 12% (male 236,124; female 381,309) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.74% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 11.64 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 14.3 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/fema