Party [Kakha KUKAVA]; Democratic Movement United Georgia [Nino
BURJANADZE]; For Fair Georgia [Zurab NOGAIDELI]; Georgian Party
[Sozar SUBARI]; Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Greens
[Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists)
or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Shalva NATELASHVILI];
National Democratic Party or NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Forum
[Kakhaber SHARTAVA]; New Rights [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Our
Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD) [Irakli ALASANIA]; People's Party
[Koba DAVITASHVILI; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI]; Socialist
Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI];
United National Movement or UNM [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
International organization participation:
ADB, BSEC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-11, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS
(observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Temur IAKOBASHVILI
chancery: 2209 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390
FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BASS
embassy: 11 George Balanchine Street, T'bilisi 0131
mailing address: 7060 T'bilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060
telephone: [995] (32) 27-70-00
FAX: [995] (32) 53-23-10
Flag description:
white rectangle with a central red cross extending to all four sides
of the flag; each of the four quadrants displays a small red
bolnur-katskhuri cross; although adopted as the official Georgian
flag in 2004, the five-cross flag design appears to date back to the
14th century
National anthem:
name: "Tavisupleba" (Liberty)
lyrics/music: Dawit MAGRADSE/Zakaria PALIASHVILI (adapted by Joseb
KETSCHAKMADSE)
note: adopted 2004; after the Rose Revolution, a new anthem with
music based on the operas "Abesalom da Eteri" and "Daisi" was adopted
Economy ::Georgia
Economy - overview:
Georgia's economy sustained GDP growth of more than 10% in 2006-07,
based on strong inflows of foreign investment and robust government
spending. However, GDP growth slowed in 2008 following the August
2008 conflict with Russia, and turned negative in 2009 as foreign
direct investment and workers' remittances declined in the wake of
the global financial crisis, but rebounded in 2010. Georgia's main
economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products
such as grapes, citrus fruits, and hazelnuts; mining of manganese
and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing
alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, aircraft
and chemicals. Areas of recent improvement include growth in the
construction, banking services, and mining sectors, but reduced
availability of external investment and the slowing regional economy
are emerging risks. The country imports nearly all its needed
supplies of natural gas and oil products. It has sizeable hydropower
capacity, a growing component of its energy supplies. Georgia has
overcome the chronic energy shortages and gas supply interruptions
of the past by renovating hydropower plants and by increasingly
relying on natural gas imports from Azerbaijan instead of from
Russia. The construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline,
the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline, and the Kars-Akhalkalaki
Railroad are part of a strategy to capitalize on Georgia's strategic
location between Europe and Asia and develop its role as a transit
point for gas, oil and other goods. Georgia has historically
suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however,
the government, since coming to power in 2004, has simplified the
tax code, improved tax administration, increased tax enforcement,
and cracked down on petty corruption. However, the economic downturn
of 2008-09 eroded the tax base and led to a decline in the budget
surplus and an increase in public borrowing needs. The country is
pinning its hopes for renewed growth on a determined effort to
continue to liberalize the economy by reducing regulation, taxes,
and corruption in order to attract foreign investment, but the
economy faces a more difficult investment climate both domestically
and internationally.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$22.32 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
$21.16 billion (2009 est.)
$22.02 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$11.23 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
-3.9% (2009 est.)
2.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,800 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
$4,600 (2009 est.)
$4,800 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11%
industry: 27.1%
services: 62% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
1.918 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 55.6%
industry: 8.9%
services: 35.5% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
16.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
13.6% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
31% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 30.6% (2008)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.8 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 59
37.1 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
14.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.7% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
1.7% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
8% (25 December 2008)
NA% (31 December 2007)
note: this is the Refinancing Rate, the key monetary policy rate of
the Georgian National Bank
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
25.52% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
21.24% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$1.175 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 135
$1.122 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$2.146 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
$1.28 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.243 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
$3.569 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$733.3 million (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 106
$327.3 million (31 December 2008)
$1.389 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock
Industries:
steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining
(manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine
Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
Electricity - production:
7.97 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Electricity - consumption:
6.902 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Electricity - exports:
628 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
430 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
995 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
Oil - consumption:
13,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
Oil - exports:
1,486 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
Oil - imports:
16,590 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
Oil - proved reserves:
35 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - production:
8 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
Natural gas - consumption:
1.73 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - imports:
1.72 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
Natural gas - proved reserves:
8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Current account balance:
-$1.404 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
-$1.259 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$2.29 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
$1.893 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
scrap metal, wine, mineral water, ores, vehicles, fruits and nuts
Exports - partners:
Turkey 17.87%, Azerbaijan 12.3%, Bulgaria 9.6%, Canada 8.78%, UK
7.49%, Ukraine 6.82%, Spain 5.27%, US 4.99% (2009)
Imports:
$4.828 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
$4.293 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuels, vehicles, machinery and parts, grain and other foods,
pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners:
Turkey 16.81%, Azerbaijan 9.72%, Ukraine 9.17%, Russia 7.39%, US
6.63%, Germany 6.22% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.35 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
$2.11 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.381 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 122
$7.711 billion (31 December 2008)
Exchange rates:
laris (GEL) per US dollar - 1.8009 (2010), 1.6705 (2009), 1.47
(2008), 1.7 (2007), 1.78 (2006)
Communications ::Georgia
Telephones - main lines in use:
620,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 93
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.837 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 115
Telephone system:
general assessment: fixed-line telecommunications network has only
limited coverage outside Tbilisi; long list of people waiting for
fixed line connections; multiple mobile-cellular providers provide
services to an increasing subscribership throughout the country
domestic: cellular telephone networks cover the entire country;
mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 60 per 100 people; urban
fixed-line 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: country code - 995; the Georgia-Russia fiber optic
submarine cable provides connectivity to Russia; international
service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through
the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service
are available
Broadcast media:
1 state-owned public television station in Tbilisi and 8
privately-owned TV stations; state-run public broadcaster operates 2
networks; dozens of cable TV operators and several major commercial
TV stations are operating; state-owned public radio broadcaster
operates 2 networks; several dozen private stations broadcast (2008)
Internet country code:
.ge
Internet hosts:
110,680 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 76
Internet users:
1.3 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 91
Transportation ::Georgia
Airports:
22 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 133
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 18
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2010)
Heliports:
3 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 1,596 km; oil 1,258 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 1,612 km
country comparison to the world: 80
broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified)
narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 20,329 km
country comparison to the world: 109
paved: 7,854 km (includes 13 km of expressways)
unpaved: 12,475 km (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 193
country comparison to the world: 34
by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 151, carrier 1, chemical tanker 3,
container 2, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 3,
refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 7, vehicle carrier 2
foreign-owned: 132 (China 11, Denmark 1, Egypt 11, Germany 4, Greece
3, Hong Kong 4, Israel 1, Italy 2, Latvia 1, Lebanon 1, Pakistan 1,
Romania 7, Russia 7, Syria 35, Turkey 22, UAE 1, UK 4, Ukraine 15,
US 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Bat'umi, P'ot'i
Transportation - note:
large parts of transportation network are in poor condition because
of lack of maintenance and repair
Military ::Georgia
Military branches:
Georgian Armed Forces: Land Forces
note: naval forces have been incorporated into the coast guard and
the Air and Air Defense forces were incorporated into the Land
Forces (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty
military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,094,390
females age 16-49: 1,140,758 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 901,307
females age 16-49: 946,357 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 30,314
female: 28,299 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
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
Transnational Issues ::Georgia
Disputes - international:
Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their common border,
leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritime boundary
unresolved; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the
Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia;
UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained a peacekeeping force
in Georgia since 1993; Meshkheti Turks scattered throughout the
former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia; boundary with Armenia
remains undemarcated; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of
Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian government;
Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their
boundary at certain crossing areas
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,100 (Russia)
IDPs: 220,000-240,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
(2007)
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
page last updated on January 19, 2011
======================================================================
@Germany (Europe)
Introduction ::Germany
Background:
As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after
Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic,
political, and defense organizations. European power struggles
immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of
the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious
Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945.
With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in
1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern
German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself
in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which
became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front
line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the
end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since
then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern
productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999,
Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European
exchange currency, the euro. In January 2011, Germany assumed a
nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term.
Geography ::Germany
Location:
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between
the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates:
51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 357,022 sq km
country comparison to the world: 62
land: 348,672 sq km
water: 8,350 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries:
total: 3,621 km
border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646
km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577
km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline:
2,389 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
Terrain:
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural resources:
coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium,
potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 33.13%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 66.27% (2005)
Irrigated land:
4,850 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
188 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 38.01 cu km/yr (12%/68%/20%)
per capita: 460 cu m/yr (2001)
Natural hazards:
flooding
Environment - current issues:
emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to
air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions,
is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and
industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste
disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of
nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU
commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the
EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to
the Baltic Sea
People ::Germany
Population:
82,282,988 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.7% (male 5,768,366/female 5,470,516)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 27,707,761/female 26,676,759)
65 years and over: 20.3% (male 7,004,805/female 9,701,551) (2010
est.)
Median age:
total: 44.3 years
male: 43 years
female: 45.6 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.061% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
Birth rate:
8.21 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 219
Death rate:
11 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Net migration rate:
2.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
Urbanization:
urban population: 74% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.055 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.95 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 205
male: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.41 years
country comparison to the world: 36
male: 76.41 years
female: 82.57 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.42 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
53,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
Nationality:
noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic groups:
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek,
Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)
Religions:
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or
other 28.3%
Languages:
German
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4.4% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 92
People - note:
second most populous country in Europe after Russia
Government ::Germany
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Berlin
geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern
(Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen (Hesse),
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania),
Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North
Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland,
Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt),
Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia); note - Bayern, Sachsen,
and Thueringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten,
singular - Freistaat)
Independence:
18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones
of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 following World War
II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23
May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German
Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949
and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany
unified 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights
15 March 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 August 843 (Eastern Francia
established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 February
962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor)
National holiday:
Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Constitution:
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united
Germany 3 October 1990
Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Christian WULFF (since 30 June 2010)
head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by
the president on the recommendation of the chancellor
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a
second term) by a Federal Assembly, including all members of the
Federal Diet and an equal number of delegates elected by the state
parliaments; election last held on 30 June 2010 (next to be held by
June 2015); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the
Federal Diet for a four-year term; Bundestag vote for Chancellor
last held after 27 September 2009 (next to follow the legislative
election to be held no later than 2013)
election results: Christian WULFF elected president; received 625
votes of the Federal Assembly against 494 for GAUCK and 121
abstentions; Angela MERKEL reelected chancellor; vote by Federal
Diet 323 to 285 with four abstentions
Legislative branch: