Georgia is known for the abundance and variety of mineral waters and is one of the leading countries in this respect. There are about 500 popular mineral waters such as Borjomi, Sairme, Nabeglavi, Zvare, Java, Kugela, etc.

The territory of Georgia is rich in deposits and occurrence of mineral resources (oil, coal, iron ore, manganum, copper, lead and zink ore, mercury, antimony, non-ore minerals - agate deposits and quartz field spar sands). Andesite, barytes, bentonite clay, diatomite, talc and serpentine are also available.

Georgia is also rich in valuable materials used for facing (basalt, granite, lime stone, marble, etc.).

Borjomi mineral water and the mining of manganese have traditionally been the "trademarks" of Georgia 's mineral resources. These and many other resources were utilized in the country to "feed" the giant industrial machine of the Soviet economy. Inefficient mining of the variety of minerals are classical examples of environmental mismanagement. Collapse of economic system has left the country with huge social problems in "ghost" cities with dysfunctional industrial complexes.

The mining sites of relatively small scale are still operational and this is where environmental impacts are experienced and these impacts are expected to grow further as transitional processes proceed.

There are more then a hundred perspective quarries and sites, which allow extracting:

Fossils: oil, gas, coal, peat
Metals: manganese, arsenic, copper, lead, zinc, iron, silver, gold, etc.
Mining of barite, andesite, bentonite clay, diatomite, talc, calcite, basalt, etc.

Non-mined resources:
For metallurgy: diatomite, limestone, moulds sands.
Ceramics: kaolin, clays, trachyte, rhyolite, pegmatite.
Gem stones: tuff, quips, agate, onyx, obsidian, gagat, jasper.
Construction and materials: limestone, tuff, marble, basalt, teshenite, granite, diorite, porpirite, gabro, sand, gravel, cement, gypsum,, etc.
Subsurface waters: fresh water, mineral water, thermal water, medical mud.

Mining of new and perspective raw materials, like lithographic stone and zeolite is worth of mentioning.

Currently many efforts are under way in order to develop new approaches for better management, use and protection of mineral resources:

- Enactment of new legislation for the exploitation of mineral resources;
- Reconstruction and development of infrastructure for the survey, mining and use of mineral resources;
- Elaboration of policies and strategies for protection and rational exploitation of mineral resources.