69,700 sq km (26,911 sq miles).
Population:4.9 million (2014).
Population density:70.8 per sq km.
Capital:Tbilisi.
Government:Parliamentary republic.
Head of state:President Giorgi Margvelashvili since 2013.
Head of government:Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili since 2015.
Electricity:220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style plugs with two round pins are used. The electricity supply can be intermittent between November and March, so it's a good idea to bring a torch with you.
It’s extremely easy to love Georgia. Formerly famed as the holiday haunt of the privileged elite of the Soviet Union, today’s country is an often overlooked but deeply rewarding travel destination.
A location at the historical crossroads of Europe, Asia, Russia and the Middle East means it still draws influences from all four, and the end result is a heady one. From its mountain-perched monasteries to its valley-floor vineyards, and from its Turkish-style food to its remarkable capacity for hospitality to strangers, Georgia represents a very special slice of the Caucasus.
Capital city Tbilisi, spread along the banks of the Mktvari River, is an enjoyable but sometimes jumbled mix of old and new. Incense-fogged churches and traditional bathhouses share the city with broad avenues and gleaming new towers, while crowning the skyline is a huge statue of “Mother Georgia” – holding a sword in one hand to ward off enemies, and a goblet of wine in the other to welcome friends.
It’s a sign of how tumultuous the country’s history has been, although it’s also worth pointing out that travellers and visitors fall firmly into the “friends” camp. Georgia, incidentally, claims to be the birthplace of wine – viticulture has been practiced here for more than 6,000 years.
Elsewhere in the country, highlights include the remote uplands of Svaneti, the relaxed Black Sea resort of Batumi, the spectacular hiking and horse-trekking trails of Tusheti and the tangled historical web of second city Kutaisi. Talking of tangled, the Georgian alphabet at times resembles a thicket of twisted fish-hooks, and its presence on everything from street placards to the endless marshrutkas (minibuses) that ply the roads adds an extra sense of foreignness to travel here.
Georgia is an endlessly absorbing destination, a beautiful and beguiling nation made all the more rewarding by its bottomless hospitality and friendly inhabitants.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and against all but essential travel to areas near the Administrative Boundary Lines with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The British government does not recognise the unilateral declarations of independence made by the de facto authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There is no UK diplomatic representation available in either location.
Take care when driving and if possible avoid doing so at night.
There is some risk from unexploded ordnance in areas where fighting took place in August 2008 and in military installations where Russian troops were present.
There is an underlying threat from terrorism.
