AREA: 69,700 sq km (26,911 sq miles).

POPULATION: 5,368,700 (1995 estimate).

POPULATION DENSITY: 77 per sq km.

CAPITAL: Tbilisi. Population: 1,268,000 (1990).

GEOGRAPHY: Georgia is bordered by the RUSSIAN FEDERATION, TURKEY, ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN and the Black Sea. The state is crossed by the ranges of the Greater Caucasus (highest peak: Mt Shkhara, 5068m/16,627ft). Enclosed high valleys, wide basins, health spas with famous mineral waters, caves and waterfalls combine in this land of varied landscapes and striking beauty.

LANGUAGE: Predominantly Georgian. Russian, Armenian, Azeri, Ossetian and Abkhazian are also spoken.

RELIGION: Christian majority, mainly Georgian Orthodox church. Also Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish and other Christian denomination minorities.

TIME: GMT + 3