Georgia is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 32.6119° N, 83.4054° W.

What is the largest city in Georgia?

Atlanta is the largest city mapped in Georgia, with a metropolitan population of about 4.51 million.

How many cities are in Georgia?

YearMaps maps 15 cities and towns in Georgia, with a combined metropolitan population of about 5.80 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.

What is the largest lake in Georgia?

The largest lake mapped in or beside Georgia is J. Strom Thurmond Lake, at about 300 km².

Georgia Map — Cities & Geography, United States

Interactive Map of Georgia

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About Georgia

Georgia ( JOR-jə) is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic, and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the northwest, North Carolina and South Carolina to the northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia is the 24th-largest by area and eighth-most populous. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, its 2025 estimated population was 11,302,748. Atlanta, a global city, is both the state's capital and its largest city. The Atlanta metropolitan area, with a population greater than 6.3 million people in 2023, is the eighth most populous metropolitan area in the United States and contains about 57% of Georgia's entire population. Other major metropolitan areas in the state include Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, and Macon.

The Province of Georgia was established in 1732, with its first settlement occurring in 1733 when Savannah was founded. By 1752, Georgia had transitioned into a British royal colony, making it the last and southernmost of the original Thirteen Colonies. On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution. Between 1802 and 1804, a portion of western Georgia was carved out to create the Mississippi Territory, which eventually became the U.S. states of Alabama and Mississippi. Georgia declared its secession from the Union on January 19, 1861, joining the ranks of the original seven Confederate States. After the Civil War, it was the last state to be readmitted to the Union on July 15, 1870.

In the late 19th century, during the post-Reconstruction period, Georgia's economy underwent significant changes, driven by a coalition of influential politicians, business leaders, and journalists, notably Henry W. Grady, who promoted the "New South" ideology focused on reconciliation and industrialization.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Georgia (U.S. state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Georgia in Depth

History

Before settlement by European colonists, Georgia was governed by mound building polities such as Ocute and Coosa.

On February 12, 1733, a year after Georgia was established as a British colony, the Province of Georgia was established in Savannah by British General James Oglethorpe. It was administered by the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America under a charter issued by (and named for) King George II. The Trustees implemented an elaborate plan for the colony's settlement, known as the Oglethorpe Plan, which envisioned an agrarian society of yeoman farmers and prohibited slavery. The colony was invaded by the Spanish in 1742, during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

Geography

Beginning from the Atlantic Ocean, the state's eastern border with South Carolina runs up the Savannah River, northwest to its origin at the confluence of the Tugaloo and Seneca Rivers. It then continues up the Tugaloo (originally Tugalo) and into the Chattooga River, its most significant tributary. These bounds were decided in the 1797 Treaty of Beaufort, and tested in the U.S. Supreme Court in the two Georgia v. South Carolina cases in 1923 and 1989.

The border then takes a sharp turn around the tip of Rabun County, at latitude 35°N, though from this point it diverges slightly south (due to inaccuracies in the original survey, conducted in 1818).

Economy

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2025, Georgia's total gross state product was $924.8 billion and its per capita personal income was $65,382. For years Georgia as a state has had the highest credit rating by Standard & Poor's (AAA) and is one of only 15 states with a AAA rating. If Georgia were a stand-alone country, it would be the 28th-largest economy in the world, based on data from 2005. As of 2025, Georgia has been noted by Area Development Magazine as the Top State for Doing Business for 12 consecutive years. As of 2026, Georgia was a top ten exporting state out of all U.S. states, doubling the national average for export growth, and surpassing its export record five years in a row.

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau reported Georgia's official population to be 10,711,908 as of the 2020 United States census. This was an increase of 1,024,255, or 10.57% over the 2010 figure of 9,687,653 residents. The state made up 3.14% of the total US population in 2010 and 3.23% in 2020.

As of 2010, the number of illegal immigrants living in Georgia more than doubled to 480,000 from January 2000 to January 2009, according to a federal report. That gave Georgia the greatest percentage increase among the 10 states with the biggest illegal immigrant populations during those years. Georgia has banned sanctuary cities.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Georgia (U.S. state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Georgia: Key Facts

Key facts about Georgia
Population	10,711,908 (2020)
Area	153,909 km²
Capital	Atlanta
Head of government	Brian Kemp
Highest point	Brasstown Bald
Established	2 January 1788

Facts from Wikidata Q1428 (CC0).

History of Georgia: Empires and States

The atlas records 4 polities whose mapped territory included part of Georgia, from The Spanish Empire in 1612 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Georgia, in chronological order
Polity	Period here
The Spanish Empire	1612–1762 CE
British Colonial Empire	1741–1780 CE
The British Empire	1741–1780 CE
United States of America	1776–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Georgia

Georgia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Largest Cities in Georgia

15 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Georgia
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Atlanta	4.51 million	Georgia	Admin-1 capital
2	Augusta	262,332	Georgia	Populated place
3	Columbus	217,980	Georgia	Populated place
4	Savannah	180,187	Georgia	Populated place
5	Macon	115,592	Georgia	Populated place
6	Athens	110,301	Georgia	Populated place
7	Albany	88,766	Georgia	Populated place
8	Marietta	61,360	Georgia	Populated place
9	Valdosta	61,179	Georgia	Populated place
10	Dalton	58,557	Georgia	Populated place
11	Brunswick	47,085	Georgia	Populated place
12	La Grange	31,776	Georgia	Populated place
13	Dublin	22,623	Georgia	Populated place
14	Waycross	19,824	Georgia	Populated place
15	Douglas	13,441	Georgia	Populated place

Largest Lakes in Georgia

2 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Largest Lakes in Georgia
#	Name	Surface Area	Type
1	J. Strom Thurmond Lake	300 km²	Reservoir
2	Lake Sidney Lanier	262 km²	Reservoir

Ports in Georgia

3 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Ports in Georgia
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Darien	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels
2	Brunswick	38.4 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	large vessels
3	Savannah	31.1 m	Minor	Atlantic Coast of the United States	large vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Georgia

1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Georgia
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge	2026	Natural	(ix) (x)

Georgia: Quick Answers

Where is Georgia?: Georgia is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 32.6119° N, 83.4054° W.
What is the largest city in Georgia?: Atlanta is the largest city mapped in Georgia, with a metropolitan population of about 4.51 million.
How many cities are in Georgia?: YearMaps maps 15 cities and towns in Georgia, with a combined metropolitan population of about 5.80 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
What is the largest lake in Georgia?: The largest lake mapped in or beside Georgia is J. Strom Thurmond Lake, at about 300 km².