Georgia, a European country, is situated on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. The biggest part of the country is located in the Southern Caucasus, and a smaller one is in the Northern Caucasus.  Georgia borders on Russia in the north, on Azerbaijan in the east, on Armenia in the south, on Turkey in the south-west.  

The area of the country is 69,7 thousand km2 . Georgia comprises 53 regions, 2 autonomous republics (Abkhazia and Ajaria) and 11 cities, including Tbilisi, the capital of the country and Poti – the Black Sea port. Georgia gained sovereignty in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

There are more than 4,6 mln. people living in Georgia. The majority of population are Georgians. Besides them there are Russians, Azerbaijani, Armenians, and representatives of other nations.

In Georgia there are more than 850 lakes, but their general area is not more than 170 km2.

About 25 thousand rivers are flowing through the country, their general length being 54,768 km. Many rivers in Georgia have strong hydropower capacities. The majority of the country’s rivers flow in the western Georgia (the Rioni, the Inguri, the Chorokhi, the Keda and others) and belong to the Black Sea basin. The smaller rivers (the Kura with its tributaries the Alazani, the Iori, the Aragvi, the Liakhvi, the Khrami) belong to the Caspian Sea basin.  Other rivers are: the Kodori, the Adzharitskali, the Korokhi and the Khobi. All the rivers of the Black Sea basin flow into the sea independently.  The Georgian segment of the Black Sea coastline from the Psou River to Sarpi is 308 km long and slightly indented. The coast has an arch form without considerable firths and peninsulas. The seaports of Sukhumi, Batumi and Poti are situated in small bays.  

Due to the political situation 1/3 of the shoreline belonging to Abkhasia is not controlled by the
government of Georgia. 

The protection of the Black Sea and its basin is a big concern of Georgia. Among various basins of the World Ocean, the environmental degradation in the Black Sea is the most severe. It is nearly landlocked and the exchange of its water with the Mediterranean Sea is very limited. Permanent natural anoxia exists within 90% of its volume (547 000 km3), making the Black Sea the largest anoxic water body in the world. The Black Sea surface area (432 000 km2) is five times smaller than its basin (more than 2 mln km2) covering parts of Europe and Asia.

Georgia faces serious environmental problems, which threaten the recovery of the local economy, particularly on the Black Sea coast and in rural areas, where economic growth depends vitally on environmental services and natural resources. The environmental problems can be categorized in the following main directions:

• eutrophication
• unsustainable use of natural resources
• human health risks
• unsustainable use of the coastal zones
• introduction of exotic species
• risks for environmental calamities