About Georgia

Georgia occupies the central and western parts of the South Caucasus. Its area is 69 700 square meters. In the north Georgia borders with the Russian Federation, in the South with Armenia and Turkey. In the west Georgia is washed by the Black Sea.Nature is generously rich in Georgia. One can hardly find many places in the whole world that may hold such diverse landscapes within such a small area - from humid subtropics to perenial snows and glaciers of high mountains.The territory of Georgia features a highly contrasting topography. The north of the country is occupied by the Greater Caucasus (the highest peak is Mt. Shkhara 5 068 meters), which includes the Great Caucasian (the Main Watershed) and the Gagra, Bzyb, Kodori, Svaneti, Egrisi, Racha, Lomisi, Kartli and other ranges. The intermountane depressions south of the Greater Caucasus hold the Colchis Lowhand, the Inner Kartli, Lower Kartli and Alazani Plains. Still farther to the south rise the Lesser Caucasus ranges of medium height (the Meskheti, Shavsheti, Trilaeti and other ranges), reaching a height of 2 850 m. The southernmost area of the Republic is covered by the volcanic South Georgian Upland (Mt. Didi Abuli, 3 301 meters, its highest peak), dissected by specific canyon-like river gorges.The Greater Caucasus and the South Georgian Upland join with the Likhi Range which, at the same time, devides Georgia into two contrasting climatic zones: Western and Eastern Georgia.The location of Georgia on the border between the moderately humid Mediterranean and the dry continental Aral-Caspian areas is responsible for the climate of the country. A humid subtropical climate dominates in Western Georgia, while in Eastern Georgia it features a transition from subtropical to moderate. The mean January temperature varies from +3 (Colchis) to -2; In August, 23-26 C. In the seaward areas of Western Georgia mean annual precipitations vary from 1 000 to 2 800 mm (in the mountains), in Eastern Georgia it is 300-600 mm.