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Ethnic groups
The likelihood is great that the Georgians, whose name for themselves is Kartveli (“Georgian” derived from the Persian name for them, Gorj), have always lived in this region, known to them as Sakartvelo. Ethnically, contemporary Georgia is not homogeneous but reflects the intermixtures and successions of the Caucasus region. About four-fifths of the people are Georgians; the rest are Armenians, Russians, Azerbaijanis, and, in smaller numbers, Ossetes, Greeks, Abkhazians, and others.
Language
The Georgian language is a member of the Kartvelian (South Caucasian) family of languages. It has its own alphabet, which is thought to have evolved about the 5th century, and there are many dialects. A number of other Caucasian languages are spoken by minority groups; many are unwritten.
Religion
Many Georgians are members of the Georgian Orthodox Church, an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. In addition, there are Muslim, Russian Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, and Jewish communities.
Settlement patterns
Population density in Georgia decreases with increasing altitude. The population of Georgia is concentrated in the narrow valley between the Greater Caucasus mountains in the north and the Lesser Caucasus in the south and along the coast of the Black Sea to the west. Population densities are relatively high but are less than those for Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Tbilisi, the capital, an ancient city with many architectural monuments mingling with modern buildings, lies in eastern Georgia, partly in a scenic gorge of the Kura River. Other major centres are Kʿutʿaisi, Rustʿavi, Sokhumi, and Batʿumi.
During the Soviet period the Georgian population increased, with a marked trend toward urbanization. More than half the population now lives in cities. Further, a considerable portion of the population that is defined as rural is in fact engaged in the urban economy of nearby cities. There also was a significant shift in the distribution of the population to urban centres in recent years, as the rural population has decreased by about one-fourth since the beginning of the 21st century. Enterprises for primary processing of agricultural products have been constructed in the villages, while ore-processing plants and light industry also are increasing in number. As a result, many of the slow-paced traditional villages have developed into distinctly modern communities. The number of rural inhabitants remains as high as it is because of the wide distribution of labour-intensive branches of the economy such as the tea and subtropical crop plantations.
Demographic trends
The population of Georgia is aging. The birth rate is below the global average, while the death rate is above the world’s average. About one-fifth of the population is under age 15, and two-fifths are under 30, while another two-fifths are age 45 or older. Life expectancy is about 72 years for men and 81 years for women.
Economy
The Georgian economy includes diversified and mechanized agriculture alongside a well-developed industrial base. Agriculture accounts for about half of the gross domestic product and employs about one-fourth of the labour force; the industry and service sectors each employ about one-fifth of the labour force.
After independence the Georgian economy contracted sharply because of political instability (which discouraged foreign investment), the loss of favourable trading relationships with the states of the former Soviet Union, and the civil unrest in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where key pipelines and transport links were sabotaged or blockaded. Georgia sought to transform its command economy into one organized on market principles: prices were liberalized, the banking system reformed, and some state enterprises and retail establishments privatized.
The National Bank of Georgia, which is the central bank, issues the national currency, the Georgian lari. The majority of Georgia’s financial institutions—the stock exchange and most of its banks—are situated in Tbilisi.
Resources
The interior of Georgia has coal deposits (notably at Tqvarchʿeli and Tqibuli), petroleum (at Kazeti), and a variety of other resources ranging from peat to marble. The manganese deposits of Chiatʿura rival those of India, Brazil, and Ghana in quantity and quality. Its waterpower resources are also considerable. The deepest and most powerful rivers for hydroelectric purposes are the Rioni and its tributaries, the Inguri, Kodori, and Bzyb. Such western rivers account for three-fourths of the total capacity, with the eastern Kura, Aragvi, Alazani, and Khrami accounting for the rest. Oil deposits have been located near Batʿumi and Potʿi under the Black Sea.
Agriculture
A distinctive feature of the Georgian economy is that agricultural land is both in short supply and difficult to work; each patch of workable land, even on steep mountain slopes, is valued highly. The relative proportion of arable land is low. The importance of production of labour-intensive (and highly profitable) crops, such as tea and citrus fruits, is, however, a compensatory factor.
The introduction of a system of collective farms (kolkhozy) and state farms (sovkhozy) by the Soviet government in 1929–30 radically altered the traditional structure of landowning and working, though a considerable portion of Georgia’s agricultural output continued to come from private garden plots. Contemporary agriculture uses modern equipment supplied under a capital investment program, which also finances the production of mineral fertilizers and herbicides, as well as afforestation measures. A program of land privatization was undertaken in 1992.
Tea plantations occupy more than 150,000 acres (60,000 hectares) and are equipped with modern picking machinery.
The vineyards of the republic constitute one of the oldest and most important branches of Georgian agriculture and perhaps the best loved. Georgian winemaking dates to 300 bce; centuries of trial and error have produced more than 500 varieties of grapes.
Orchards occupy some 320,000 acres throughout the country. Georgian fruits are varied; even slight differences in climate and soil affect the yield, quality, and taste of the fruit.
Sugar beets and tobacco are especially significant among other commercial crops. Essential oils (geranium, rose, and jasmine) also are produced to supply the perfume industry. Grains, including wheat, are important, but quantities are insufficient for the country’s needs, and wheat must be imported. Growing of vegetables and melons has developed in the suburbs.
Livestock raising is marked by the use of different summer and winter pastures. Sheep and goats, cattle, and pigs are raised. Poultry, bees, and silkworms are also significant. Black Sea fisheries concentrate on flounder and whitefish.