Georgia Languages

The official language of Georgia is Georgian which originates from the Kartvelian language family. These languages originated in the Caucuses region of Europe and the oldest surviving written evidence of Georgian dates back to the fifth century. According to many linguistic experts, the old Georgian script may have derived from Aramaic with influences from the Greek language. Georgian is used as the official language for business and education and the rich history of Georgian provides a stable platform for the language to survive and flourish.

Approximately 90% (3.3 million) of the country's 3.7 million inhabitants speak Georgian as their first language. Georgia is divided into two regions (East and West Georgia) and the dialect spoken can differ between regions. The Georgian language is written the same way, no matter the dialect that is spoken. According to the United States Department of State, Georgian is one of the hardest languages to learn.

Georgians are incredibly friendly people and an honest attempt at their language will be met will appreciation and patience. Georgian is difficult but there are a few indispensable phrases if travelling to the area. "Hello", is pronounced "ga-mar-jo-ba" and "good-bye" is pronounced "nakh-vam-dis". "Thank-you", is pronounced "g-mad-lob-t". The language is incredibly tough to read for newcomers to this type of dialect.

Azerbaijani is the most prevalent minority language in Georgia with 6.2% of the population speaking it natively. Russian is spoken by just over 1% of the population as a first language and this includes the older generation of Georgians who lived under Soviet rule. In the last two decades, many in the country have expressed interest in integrating English and it has become a mandatory subject in many schools across Georgia. The country has even stated that their goal is to eventually make English an official language.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Tbilisi
Languages	Georgian (official) 87.6%, Azeri 6.2%, Armenian 3.9%, Russian 1.2%, other 1%
Ethnic Groups	Georgian 86.8%, Azeri 6.3%, Armenian 4.5%, other 2.3% (includes Russian, Ossetian, Yazidi, Ukrainian, Kist, Greek) (2014 est.)
Religion	Orthodox (official) 83.4%, Muslim 10.7%, Armenian Apostolic 2.9%, other 1.2% (includes Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Yazidi, Protestant, Jewish), none 0.5%, unspecified/no answer 1.2% (2014 est.)
Government	Semi-presidential republic
Independance	9 April 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier date: A.D. 1008 (Georgia unified under King BAGRAT III)
Area	69,700.00 km²
Land Area	69,700.00 km²
Population	4,928,052.00 Settlement coincides closely to the central valley, with emphasis on the capital city of Tbilisi in the east; smaller urban agglomerations dot the Black Sea coast, with Bat'umi being the largest
Location	Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia, with a sliver of land north of the Caucasus extending into Europe; note - Georgia views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both
No. Bordering Countries	4
Bordering Countries	Armenia 219 km, Azerbaijan 428 km, Russia 894 km, Turkey 273 km
GDP(PPP)	$37,270,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$10,100.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Azerbaijan and Bulgaria.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are vehicles, ferro-alloys, and fertilizers.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Turkey, Russia, and China.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include fuels, vehicles, machinery and parts, graind and other foods, and pharmaceuticals.
Climate	Warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
Terrain	Largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; fertile soils in river valley flood plains and foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Learn More	Georgia

Georgia Languages

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