Georgia
- Code:GA
- Type:state
- Population:10.7M (2020)
- Area:153,909 km²
- Elevation:180 m
- Capital:Atlanta
Introduction
Georgia is the largest US state east of the Mississippi River and one of the fastest-growing in the South, home to around 11 million people and to Atlanta, the economic and cultural capital of the region. Nicknamed the “Peach State,” it stretches from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in the north — the Blue Ridge, where the Appalachian Trail begins — down through the red-clay Piedmont and its rolling farmland to a short but storied Atlantic coast of barrier islands, and on to the vast blackwater wilderness of the Okefenokee Swamp in the far south. Atlanta anchors it all: the home of Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines and a cluster of Fortune 500 companies, the world's busiest airport, the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., and now the busiest film and television production centre in the country. Beyond the metropolis lie antebellum coastal Savannah, mountain wine country, ancient Native American earthworks and a landscape of peaches, pecans and Vidalia onions.
Overview
Most visitors arrive through Atlanta — the South's fast, modern hub — and many never leave the city, which would be a mistake, because Georgia's range is its whole appeal. The capital pairs a world-class aquarium and a genuinely moving civil-rights heritage with leafy parks and a booming food scene, but a few hours in any direction changes the scenery entirely. Southeast lies Savannah, one of America's most beautiful historic cities, its oak-shaded squares trailing Spanish moss down to a walkable riverfront and the beaches of the Golden Isles beyond. North rise the Blue Ridge mountains, with waterfalls, wine country and the start of the Appalachian Trail. Spring, when the azaleas and dogwoods bloom, and crisp autumn are the loveliest times to travel.
Discover Georgia
Atlanta is a green, spread-out, endlessly energetic city, and its headline attractions cluster conveniently downtown around Centennial Olympic Park, legacy of the 1996 Games. The Georgia Aquarium, among the largest in the world, holds whale sharks and manta rays in a vast ocean tank; next door, the World of Coca-Cola tells the story of the city's most famous export. Beyond the tourist core the real Atlanta reveals itself along the BeltLine, a former rail corridor reborn as a ribbon of trails, murals and breweries linking neighbourhoods like Old Fourth Ward and its Ponce City Market food hall to leafy Piedmont Park. Add the Atlanta History Center, the College Football Hall of Fame and one of the South's most exciting dining scenes — from soul food to global cooking — and the capital easily fills two or three days.
Ways to Experience This Destination
The Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola, the BeltLine trail and Ponce City Market, Piedmont Park and a booming food scene — the fast, green capital of the South packs an easy two or three days downtown.
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Sweet Auburn — the birth home, Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King Center — and the immersive National Center for Civil and Human Rights, among America's most moving historic sites.
Savannah's oak-shaded squares and riverfront, the beaches of Tybee Island, the marsh-and-forest Golden Isles of St. Simons and Jekyll, and wild Cumberland Island with its feral horses — the state's atmospheric Atlantic edge.
The start of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain, the falls at Amicalola, the wine country around Dahlonega, Alpine-themed Helen and the views from Brasstown Bald — North Georgia's waterfalls-and-vineyards playground.
Athens for its R.E.M.-and-B-52s music legacy and university buzz, and Macon for the Allman Brothers, its spring Cherry Blossom Festival and the ancient earthworks of Ocmulgee Mounds — Georgia's cultural heartland.
The alligator-filled blackwater maze of the Okefenokee Swamp, the coloured gullies of Providence Canyon, and the granite dome and trails of Stone Mountain Park — wild Georgia within reach of the cities.
Frequently asked questions
Cities in Georgia
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.