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Legal Aspects of Doing Business in North America - 2nd Edition - Loose leaf
Legal Aspects of Doing Business in North America - 2nd Edition - Electronic
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Introduction
As the center of international activity in the Southern region of the United States,
Georgia’s international development continues to accelerate. Particularly visible
evidence of this is the rapidly growing consular corps and trade offices in
Atlanta and Savannah. Atlanta, the state capitol, is known as the Gate City to the
South. Fourteen countries now have full-time career consuls with commercial
offices. There are also 21 honorary consuls, four foreign chambers of
commerce, and 16 trade and tourism offices.
The heart of Georgia’s international prominence is found among the skyscrapers of
metropolitan Atlanta. The 1.8 million square-foot World Congress Center in
Atlanta features one of the largest single-level exhibit halls in the United States
(640,000 square feet) and has facilities for simultaneous translation into six
languages. There are 72 meeting rooms, totaling 200,000 square feet; a 3,300-
seat ballroom with theatrical and food service facilities, and a corporate center
for business conferences. In 1988, the Georgia General Assembly approved
expansion of the facility, which will become the United States’ second largest
convention facility when completed.
Atlanta, Georgia was the host city for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. This
further indicated Atlanta’s status as a city filled with international spirit,
involvement, and promise.
Other important elements in Georgia’s rapidly emerging international
character include:
• Three Foreign Trade Zones, located in Atlanta, Brunswick, and Savannah,
where firms can delay, reduce, and sometimes eliminate customs duties on
imported items.
• State legislation permitting international banking activities, resulting in
Atlanta offices for 30 foreign banks.
• Direct flights from Atlanta, the world’s largest airport terminal, to
Amsterdam, Bermuda, Brussels, Cancun, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Mexico
City, Montego Bay, Montreal, Munich, Nassau, Paris, Shannon, Stuttgart,
Tokyo, Toronto, and Zurich. Atlanta’s airport also has more scheduled daily
