Georgia General Information

Hardly any other territory in the southern states has a more diverse landscape than Georgia: the spectrum ranges from farmland, hill and mountain landscapes with rivers and gorges to sandy beaches and subtropical forests with swamps. In addition, old Savannah, which the French newspaper Le Monde called “America’s most beautiful city”, offers a lot of history and, above all, southern flair. Characteristic are the trees covered with Spanish moss that line the avenues and squares. In contrast to this is the Olympic metropolis Atlanta, headquarters of corporations such as Coca-Cola and CNN. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world.

The country, which was a dispute between Spain and England in the 17th century, was named in honor of the British monarch King George II. The state was founded in 1732 by British General James Oglethorpe, who finally succeeded in conquering the Spanish in Florida stop expansion. Slavery was originally illegal in Georgia. However, due to the economic pressure of competing slave-owning colonies, it was later permitted. Slave labor on the rice, indigo and cotton plantations made the country wealthy. During the Civil War, General William T. Sherman’s “March to the Sea” set half of Georgia ablaze, eventually leading to the victory of the Northern states over the Southern states. The scorched earth policy took its toll on Georgia, but Atlanta’s pragmatic approach to the past set an example for the entire region and positioned the country well for the economic boom of the 20th century. Today the “Peach State” – as it calls itself – is a modern country and is hardly known in Europe as a holiday destination – even though there are so many sights.

According to answermba, the secret national anthem “Georgia On My Mind” – composed by the way by the songwriter Hoagy Carmichael in the 1930s and made world famous in the version by Ray Charles – is actually dedicated to a woman named “Georgia”. However, this is not taken so seriously in the state, because the street signs “We’re glad Georgia’s on your mind” are emblazoned everywhere on the state border.

Georgia information

Location and Size
In the southeastern United States, Georgia borders Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina to the northeast, Alabama to the west, and Florida to the south. The federal state is 153,078 km² in size (almost twice the area of ​​Austria). Brasstown Bald in the Blue Ridge Mountains – in northern Georgia – is the highest peak at 1,458 m. The coastline of Georgia is 161 km. The state also includes the offshore islands of Sapelo and the Golden Isles. The west-east extent of the state is 370 km, from the extreme north to the south the distance is 480 km.

Population
10.6 million people live in the state of Georgia – 60.5% are white, 32.8% are black, around 3% are Asian and 9.8% are Hispanic. The state ranks eighth among US states. The largest city and capital is Atlanta with around 500,000 inhabitants (metropolitan area around 6 million inhabitants).

Getting there
The majority of international arrivals land at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The airport is about 12 km south of the city center. With 107 million passengers (of which around 95 million are national and 12.5 million are international), it is the airport with the highest passenger volume in the world. All in all, more than 225 destinations are served from Atlanta – including more than 75 international destinations in 50 different countries. The airport is also the home base of Delta Airlines.

The second international airport in Georgia is Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (about 12 km northwest of Savannah). Delta, American Eagle, United and Jet Blue all fly to the airport. In international traffic, however, it has hardly any meaning.

Climate
Georgia has a mild, subtropical climate all year round. The coldest months are December, January and February with daily temperatures around 12°C in Atlanta. From December to April it can be very rainy and cool. It is significantly warmer in the southern coastal regions. Spring is characterized by warm and fairly dry weather. Daytime temperatures can reach up to 27°C. Temperatures and humidity rise in the summer months. The coastal regions are in the hurricane zone. At the end of October/beginning of November, the precipitation also decreases on the coast.