9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (kalaki), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika)
regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli; note - the breakaway region of South Ossetia consists of the northern part of Shida Kartli, eastern slivers of the Imereti region and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and part of western Mtskheta-Mtianeti
city: Tbilisi
autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi)
Saint George, lion; national colors: red, white.
Title | "Tavisupleba" (Liberty) |
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Lyric/music | Davit MAGRADSE/Zakaria PALIASHVILI (adapted by Joseb KETSCHAKMADSE) |
Date of Independence | 9 April 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier date: A.D. 1008 (Georgia unified under King BAGRAT III) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union |
Legal system | civil law system |
International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
History | Previous 1921, 1978 (based on 1977 Soviet Union constitution); latest approved 24 August 1995, effective 17 October 1995 |
Amendments | Proposed as a draft law supported by more than one half of the Parliament membership or by petition of at least 200,000 voters; passage requires support by at least three fourths of the Parliament membership in two successive sessions three months apart and the signature and promulgation by the president of Georgia; amended several times, last in 2020 (legislative electoral system revised) |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | no |
Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Georgia |
Dual citizenship recognized | no |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 10 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Salome ZOURABICHVILI (since 16 December 2018) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Irakli KOBAKHIDZE (since 8 February 2024) |
Cabinet | Cabinet of Ministers |
Elections/appointments | president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 November 2018 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister nominated by Parliament, appointed by the president; note - 2017 constitutional amendments made the 2018 election the last where the president was directly elected; future presidents will be elected by a 300-member College of Electors; in light of these changes, ZOURABICHVILI was allowed a six-year term |
Election results | 2024: Irakli KOBAKHIDZE approved as prime minister by Parliamentary vote 84-10 2018: Salome ZOURABICHVILI elected president in second round; percent of vote in second round - Salome ZOURABICHVILI (independent, backed by Georgian Dream) 59.5%, Grigol VASHADZE (UNM) 40.5%; Irakli GARIBASHVILI approved as prime minister by Parliamentary vote 89-2; note-resigned on January 29, 2024 |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral Parliament or Sakartvelos Parlamenti (150 seats statutory, 140 as of October 2024); 120 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed, party-list proportional representation vote and 30 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by at least 50% majority vote, with a runoff if needed; no party earning less than 40% of total votes may claim a majority; members serve 4-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 26 October 2024 |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - Georgian Dream 53.9%, the Coalition for Change 11%, Unity-National Movement 10.2%, Strong Georgia 8.8%, Gakharia for Georgia 7.8%; seats by party - Georgian Dream 89, Coalition for Change 19, Unity-National Movement 16, Strong Georgia 14, Gakharia for Georgia 12 |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | Supreme Court (consists of 28 judges organized into several specialized judicial chambers; number of judges determined by the president of Georgia); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges); note - the Abkhazian and Ajarian Autonomous republics each have a supreme court and a hierarchy of lower courts |
Judge selection and term of office | Supreme Court judges nominated by the High Council of Justice (a 14-member body consisting of the Supreme Court chairperson, common court judges, and appointees of the president of Georgia) and appointed by Parliament; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed 3 each by the president, by Parliament, and by the Supreme Court judges; judges appointed for 10-year terms |
Subordinate courts | Courts of Appeal; regional (town) and district courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador David ZALKALIANI (since 7 June 2022) |
Chancery | 1824 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 387-2390 |
FAX | [1] (202) 387-0864 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://georgiaembassyusa.org/contact/ |
Consulate(s) general | New York, San Francisco |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Robin L. DUNNIGAN (since 12 October 2023) |
Embassy | 29 Georgian-American Friendship Avenue, Didi Dighomi, Tbilisi, 0131 |
Mailing address | 7060 Tbilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060 |
Telephone | [995] (32) 227-70-00 |
FAX | [995] (32) 253-23-10 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://ge.usembassy.gov/ |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 4 (3 cultural, 1 natural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Gelati Monastery (c); Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (c); Upper Svaneti (c); Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands (n) |
Want to know more about Georgia? Check all different factbooks for Georgia below.