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Title: The 2001 CIA World Factbook
Author: United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Release date: December 27, 2008 [eBook #27638]
Most recently updated: October 3, 2025
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Al Haines
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 2001 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK ***
THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 2001
CONTENTS
Countries and Locations
Field Listings
Appendixes
Notes and Definitions
History of The World Factbook
Contributors and Copyright Information
Purchasing Information
=====================================================================
In general, information available as of 1 January 2001 was used in
the preparation of The World Factbook 2001.
Selected data and maps in The World Factbook are updated periodically.
=====================================================================
Country Listing
[Transcriber's note: To search on a country name in this file, prefix
the name with "@", e.g. "@Afghanistan". "Afghanistan" will find all
occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.]
A
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Arctic Ocean
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Atlantic Ocean
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
B
Bahamas, The
Bahrain
Baker Island
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bassas da India
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
C
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Clipperton Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the
Cook Islands
Coral Sea Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
D
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
E
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Europa Island
F
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
G
Gabon
Gambia, The
Gaza Strip
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
H
Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Holy See (Vatican City)
Honduras
Hong Kong
Howland Island
Hungary
I
Iceland
India
Indian Ocean
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
J
Jamaica
Jan Mayen
Japan
Jarvis Island
Jersey
Johnston Atoll
Jordan
Juan de Nova Island
K
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingman Reef
Kiribati
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
L
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
M
Macau
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Man, Isle of
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States of
Midway Islands
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
N
Namibia
Nauru
Navassa Island
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
O
Oman
P
Pacific Ocean
Pakistan
Palau
Palmyra Atoll
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paracel Islands
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Q
Qatar
R
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
S
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Southern Ocean
Spain
Spratly Islands
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
T
Taiwan entry follows Zimbabwe
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tromelin Island
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
U
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
V
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands
W
Wake Island
Wallis and Futuna
West Bank
Western Sahara
World
Y
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Z
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Taiwan
=====================================================================
Field Listings
[Transcriber's note: To search on a field code in this file, prefix
the code number with "@", e.g. "@Airports". "Airports" will find all
occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.]
Field Description
Administrative divisions
Age structure
Agriculture - products
Airports
Airports - with paved runways
Airports - with unpaved runways
Area
Area - comparative
Background
Birth rate
Budget
Capital
Climate
Coastline
Communications - note
Constitution
Country name
Currency
Currency code
Death rate
Debt - external
Dependency status
Dependent areas
Diplomatic representation from the US
Diplomatic representation in the US
Disputes - international
Economic aid - donor
Economic aid - recipient
Economy - overview
Electricity - consumption
Electricity - exports
Electricity - imports
Electricity - production
Electricity - production by source
Elevation extremes
Environment - current issues
Environment - international agreements
Ethnic groups
Exchange rates
Executive branch
Exports
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
Fiscal year
Flag description
GDP
GDP - composition by sector
GDP - per capita
GDP - real growth rate
Geographic coordinates
Geography - note
Government - note
Government type
Heliports
Highways
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
HIV/AIDS - deaths
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
Household income or consumption by
Illicit drugs
Imports
Imports - commodities
Imports - partners
Independence
Industrial production growth rate
Industries
Infant mortality rate
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
International organization participation
Internet country code
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Internet users
Irrigated land
Judicial branch
Labor force
Labor force - by occupation
Land boundaries
Land use
Languages
Legal system
Legislative branch
Life expectancy at birth
Literacy
Location
Map references
Maritime claims
Merchant marine
Military - note
Military branches
Military expenditures - dollar figure
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
Military manpower - availability
Military manpower - fit for military
Military manpower - military age
Military manpower - reaching military
National holiday
Nationality
Natural hazards
Natural resources
Net migration rate
People - note
Pipelines
Political parties and leaders
Political pressure groups and leaders
Population
Population below poverty line
Population growth rate
Ports and harbors
Radio broadcast stations
Radios
Railways
Religions
Sex ratio
Suffrage
Telephone system
Telephones - main lines in use
Telephones - mobile cellular
Television broadcast stations
Televisions
Terrain
Total fertility rate
Transportation - note
Unemployment rate
Waterways
======================================================================
Appendixes
Appendix A - Abbreviations
Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups
Appendix C - Selected International Environmental Agreements
Appendix D - Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes
Appendix E - Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes
Appendix F - Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names
======================================================================
Notes and Definitions
In addition to the updating of information, the following changes have
been made in this edition of The World Factbook. The entity of Serbia
and Montenegro is now officially known as Yugoslavia. There are new
entries on: Currency code, HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate, HIV/AIDS
- deaths, HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS, Internet users, and
Internet country code. The Background entry, which was introduced in
the 1999 edition, has now been completed for all 267 entities in the
Factbook. The individual country maps are being revised. Some new
maps with elevation extremes and a partial geographic grid are included
in this edition.
Abbreviations
This information is included in Appendix A: Abbreviations, which
includes all abbreviations and acronyms used in the Factbook, with
their expansions.
Acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation coined from the initial letter of each
successive word in a term or phrase. In general, an acronym made up
solely from the first letter of the major words in the expanded form is
rendered in all capital letters (NATO from North Atlantic Treaty
Organization; an exception would be ASEAN for Association of Southeast
Asian Nations). In general, an acronym made up of more than the first
letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered with only an
initial capital letter (Comsat from Communications Satellite
Corporation; an exception would be NAM from Nonaligned Movement).
Hybrid forms are sometimes used to distinguish between initially
identical terms (WTO: WTrO for World Trade Organization and WToO for
World Tourism Organization.)
Administrative divisions
This entry generally gives the numbers, designatory terms, and first-
order administrative divisions as approved by the US Board on
Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet
acted on by BGN are noted.
Age structure
This entry provides the distribution of the population according to
age. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64
years, 65 years and over). The age structure of a population affects a
nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations
(high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while
countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over)
need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be
used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid
growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead
to unrest.
Agriculture - products
This entry is a rank ordering of major crops and products starting with
the most important.
Airports
This entry gives the total number of airports. The runway(s) may be
paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, dirt, sand, or
gravel surfaces), but must be usable. Not all airports have facilities
for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
Airports - with paved runways
This entry gives the total number of airports with paved runways
(concrete or asphalt surfaces). For airports with more than one runway,
only the longest runway is included according to the following five
groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m,
(4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable
runways are included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities
for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
Airports - with unpaved runways
This entry gives the total number of airports with unpaved runways
(grass, dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces). For airports with more than
one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the
following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3)
1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only
airports with usable runways are included in this listing. Not all
airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic
control
Appendixes
This section includes Factbook-related material by topic.
Area
This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of all land
and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or
coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by
international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water
bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of all water
surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines,
including inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers).
Area - comparative
This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents.
Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states
based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of
the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178
sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi,
146 acres).
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues
and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.
Birth rate
This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per
1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth
rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the
rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility
and the age structure of the population.
Budget
This entry includes revenues, total expenditures, and capital
expenditures. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis,
i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms
Capital
This entry gives the location of the seat of government.
Climate
This entry includes a brief description of typical weather regimes
throughout the year.
Coastline
This entry gives the total length of the boundary between the land area
(including islands) and the sea.
Communications
This category deals with the means of exchanging information and
includes the telephone, radio, television, and Internet service
provider entries.
Communications - note
This entry includes miscellaneous communications information of
significance not included elsewhere.
Constitution
This entry includes the dates of adoption, revisions, and major
amendments.
Country data codes
see Data codes
Country map
Most versions of the Factbook provide a country map in color. The maps
were produced from the best information available at the time of
preparation. Names and/or boundaries may have changed subsequently.
Country name
This entry includes all forms of the country's name approved by the US
Board on Geographic Names (Italy is used as an example): conventional
long form (Italian Republic), conventional short form (Italy), local
long form (Repubblica Italiana), local short form (Italia), former
(Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation. Also see the
Terminology note.
Currency
This entry identifies the national medium of exchange and its basic
subunit.
Currency code
This entry gives the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) 4217 alphabetic currency code for each country.
Data codes
This information is presented in Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of
Country Data Codes and Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of
Hydrographic Data Codes. This appendix includes the US Government
approved Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes, the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) codes, and
Internet codes for land entities. The appendix also includes the
International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) codes, Aeronautical Chart
and Information Center (ACIC; now a part of the National Imagery and
Mapping Agency or NIMA) codes, and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
codes for hydrographic entities. The US Government has not yet approved
a standard for hydrographic data codes similar to the FIPS 10-4
standard for country data codes.
Date of information
In general, information available as of 1 January 2001, was used in the
preparation of this edition.
Death rate
This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per
1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death
rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a
country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on
population growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age
distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the
overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all
ages, as declining fertility results in an aging population.
Debt - external
This entry gives the total amount of public foreign financial
obligations.
Dependency status
This entry describes the formal relationship between a particular
nonindependent entity and an independent state.
Dependent areas
This entry contains an alphabetical listing of all nonindependent
entities associated in some way with a particular independent state.
Diplomatic representation
The US Government has diplomatic relations with 185 independent states,
including 183 of the 189 UN members (excluded UN members are Bhutan,
Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and the US itself). In addition, the US
has diplomatic relations with 2 independent states that are not in the
UN - Holy See and Switzerland.
Diplomatic representation from the US
This entry includes the chief of mission, embassy address, mailing
address, telephone number, FAX number, branch office locations,
consulate general locations, and consulate locations.
Disputes - international
This entry includes a wide variety of situations that range from
traditional bilateral boundary disputes to unilateral claims of one
sort or another. Information regarding disputes over international
terrestrial and maritime boundaries has been reviewed by the US
Department of State. References to other situations involving borders
or frontiers may also be included, such as resource disputes,
geopolitical questions, or irredentist issues; however, inclusion does
not necessarily constitute official acceptance or recognition by the US
Government.
Economic aid - donor
This entry refers to net official development assistance (ODA) from
OECD nations to developing countries and multilateral organizations.
ODA is defined as financial assistance that is concessional in
character, has the main objective to promote economic development and
welfare of the less developed countries (LDCs), and contains a grant
element of at least 25%. The entry does not cover other official flows
(OOF) or private flows.
Economic aid - recipient
This entry, which is subject to major problems of definition and
statistical coverage, refers to the net inflow of Official Development
Finance (ODF) to recipient countries. The figure includes assistance
from the World Bank, the IMF, and other international organizations and
from individual nation donors. Formal commitments of aid are included
in the data. Omitted from the data are grants by private organizations.
Aid comes in various forms including outright grants and loans. The
entry thus is the difference between new inflows and repayments.
Economy
This category includes the entries dealing with the size, development,
and management of productive resources, i.e., land, labor, and capital.
Economy - overview
This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the degree
of market orientation, the level of economic development, the most
important natural resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It
also characterizes major economic events and policy changes in the most
recent 12 months and may include a statement about one or two key
future macroeconomic trends.
Electricity - consumption
This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus
imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy
between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the
amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in
transmission and distribution.
Electricity - exports
This entry is the total exported electricity in kilowatt-hours.
Electricity - imports
This entry is the total imported electricity in kilowatt-hours.
Electricity - production
This entry is the annual electricity generated expressed in kilowatt-
hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated
and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted
for as loss in transmission and distribution.
Electricity - production by source
This entry indicates the percentage share of annual electricity
production of each energy source. These are fossil fuel, hydro,
nuclear, and other (solar, geothermal, and wind).
Elevation extremes
This entry includes both the highest point and the lowest point.
Entities
Some of the independent states, dependencies, areas of special
sovereignty, and governments included in this publication are not
independent, and others are not officially recognized by the US
Government. "Independent state" refers to a people politically
organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory.
"Dependencies" and "areas of special sovereignty" refer to a broad
category of political entities that are associated in some way with an
independent state. "Country" names used in the table of contents or for
page headings are usually the short-form names as approved by the US
Board on Geographic Names and may include independent states,
dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty, or other geographic
entities. There are a total of 267 separate geographic entities in The
World Factbook that may be categorized as follows:
INDEPENDENT STATES
191 Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,
Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,
Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the
Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,
Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,
Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy
See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati,
North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon,
Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,
Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,
Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,
Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania,
Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay,
Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia,
Zimbabwe
OTHER
1 Taiwan
DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY
6 Australia - Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald
Islands, Norfolk Island
2 China - Hong Kong, Macau
2 Denmark - Faroe Islands, Greenland
16 France - Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands,
Glorioso Islands, Guadeloupe, Juan de Nova Island, Martinique, Mayotte,
New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island,
Wallis and Futuna
2 Netherlands - Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
3 New Zealand - Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
3 Norway - Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
15 UK - Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British
Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey,
Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South
Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
14 US - American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis
Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island,
Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands,
Wake Island
MISCELLANEOUS
6 Antarctica, Gaza Strip, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, West
Bank, Western Sahara
OTHER ENTITIES
5 oceans - Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific
Ocean, Southern Ocean
1 World
267 total
Environment - current issues
This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental
problems. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout
the entry:
acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid
precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this
process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish
and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid
rain).
acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur
dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly
to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH
scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered
alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note
- a pH of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in
New England.
aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas,
smoke, or fog.
afforestation - converting a bare or agricultural space by
planting trees and plants; reforestation involves replanting trees on
areas that have been cut or destroyed by fire.
asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly
used in fireproofing materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic
in particulate form.
biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of
species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism,
community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an
ecosystem's ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption.
bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence,
abundance, and health reveal the general condition of its habitat.
biomass - the total weight or volume of living matter in a given
area or volume.
carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon
(in various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere,
ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits.
catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and
runoff; an important water management technique in areas with limited
freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar.
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless
insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was
banned in the US in 1972.
defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves
artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control,
and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health.
deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g.,
unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing,
and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without
planting new growth.
desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or
semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive
soils, or climate change.
dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also, a
technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g.,
shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction
of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems.
drift-net fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is
generally anchored to a boat and left to float with the tide; often
results in an over harvesting and waste of large populations of non-
commercial marine species (by-catch) by its effect of "sweeping the
ocean clean".
ecosystems - ecological units comprised of complex communities of
organisms and their specific environments.
effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial
waste which are released into the environment, subsequently polluting
it.
endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction
either by direct hunting or habitat destruction.
freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources
include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.
greenhouse gas - a gas that "traps" infrared radiation in the
lower atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide,
nitrous oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary
greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth
often in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the
source for wells and natural springs.
Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by
Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply
into a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest
infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most costly
and controversial; objections to the project include claims that it
forces people from their homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders
economic resources.
Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the 125,000 Inuits
of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in international environmental
issues; a panel convenes every three years to determine the focus of
the ICC; the most current concerns are long-range transport of
pollutants, sustainable development, and climate change.
metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science,
technology, and processing of metals; these plants produce highly
concentrated and toxic wastes which can contribute to pollution of
ground water and air when not properly disposed.
noxious substances - injurious, very harmful to living beings.
overgrazing - the grazing of animals on plant material faster than
it can naturally regrow leading to the permanent loss of plant cover, a
common effect of too many animals grazing limited range land.
ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3)
that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and
absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living
organisms.
poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern
with respect to endangered or threatened species.
pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made
waste.
potable water - water that is drinkable, safe to be consumed.
salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water
becomes salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse
process; also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by
evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can
eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops.
siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become
clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil
erosion.
slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in
which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for
temporary agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines
at which point a new plot is selected and the process repeats; this
practice is sustainable while population levels are low and time is
permitted for regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these
conditions do not exist, the practice can have disastrous consequences
for the environment .
soil degradation - damage to the land's productive capacity
because of poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of
pesticides or fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or
erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce
agricultural products.
soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind,
compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing,
and desertification.
ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic
energy emitted by the sun and naturally filtered in the upper
atmosphere by the ozone layer; UV radiation can be harmful to living
organisms and has been linked to increasing rates of skin cancer in
humans.
water-born diseases - those in which the bacteria survive in, and
is transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an
untreated water supply.
Environment - international agreements
This entry separates country participation in international
environmental agreements into two levels - party to and signed but not
ratified. Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the
abbreviated form of the full name.
Environmental agreements
This information is presented in Appendix C: Selected International
Environmental Agreements, which includes the name, abbreviation, date
opened for signature, date entered into force, objective, and parties
by category.
Ethnic groups
This entry provides a rank ordering of ethnic groups starting with the
largest and normally includes the percent of total population.
Exchange rates
This entry provides the official value of a country's monetary unit at
a given date or over a given period of time, as expressed in units of
local currency per US dollar and as determined by international market
forces or official fiat.
Executive branch
This entry includes several subfields. Chief of state includes the name
and title of the titular leader of the country who represents the state
at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the
day-to-day activities of the government. Head of government includes
the name and title of the top administrative leader who is designated
to manage the day-to-day activities of the government. For example, in
the UK, the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister is
the head of government. In the US, the president is both the chief of
state and the head of government. Cabinet includes the official name
for this body of high-ranking advisers and the method for selection of
members. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession
to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election.
Election results includes the percent of vote for each candidate in the
last election.
Exports
This entry provides the total US dollar amount of exports on an f.o.b.
(free on board) basis.
Exports - commodities
This entry provides a rank ordering of exported products starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
Exports - partners
This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
Fiscal year
This entry identifies the beginning and ending months for a country's
accounting period of 12 months, which often is the calendar year but
which may begin in any month. All yearly references are for the
calendar year (CY) unless indicated as a noncalendar fiscal year (FY).
Flag description
This entry provides a written flag description produced from actual
flags or the best information available at the time the entry was
written. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies
unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and
other areas do not have flags.
Flag graphic
Most versions of the Factbook include a color flag at the beginning of
the country profile. The flag graphics were produced from actual flags
or the best information available at the time of preparation. The flags
of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an
officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas do not
have flags.
GDP
This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final
goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. GDP dollar
estimates in the Factbook are derived from purchasing power parity
(PPP) calculations. See the note on GDP methodology for more
information.
GDP methodology
In the Economy section, GDP dollar estimates for all countries are
derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations rather than
from conversions at official currency exchange rates. The PPP method
involves the use of standardized international dollar price weights,
which are applied to the quantities of final goods and services
produced in a given economy. The data derived from the PPP method
provide the best available starting point for comparisons of economic
strength and well-being between countries. The division of a GDP
estimate in domestic currency by the corresponding PPP estimate in
dollars gives the PPP conversion rate. Whereas PPP estimates for OECD
countries are quite reliable, PPP estimates for developing countries
are often rough approximations. Most of the GDP estimates are based on
extrapolation of PPP numbers published by the UN International
Comparison Program (UNICP) and by Professors Robert Summers and Alan
Heston of the University of Pennsylvania and their colleagues. In
contrast, the currency exchange rate method involves a variety of
international and domestic financial forces that often have little
relation to domestic output. In developing countries with weak
currencies the exchange rate estimate of GDP in dollars is typically
one-fourth to one-half the PPP estimate. Furthermore, exchange rates
may suddenly go up or down by 10% or more because of market forces or
official fiat whereas real output has remained unchanged. On 12 January
1994, for example, the 14 countries of the African Financial Community
(whose currencies are tied to the French franc) devalued their
currencies by 50%. This move, of course, did not cut the real output of
these countries by half. One important caution: the proportion of,
say, defense expenditures as a percentage of GDP in local currency
accounts may differ substantially from the proportion when GDP accounts
are expressed in PPP terms, as, for example, when an observer tries to
estimate the dollar level of Russian or Japanese military expenditures.
Note: the numbers for GDP and other economic data can not be chained
together from successive volumes of the Factbook because of changes in
the US dollar measuring rod, revisions of data by statistical agencies,
use of new or different sources of information, and changes in national
statistical methods and practices.
GDP - composition by sector
This entry gives the percentage contribution of agriculture, industry,
and services to total GDP.
GDP - per capita
This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by
population as of 1 July for the same year.
GDP - real growth rate
This entry gives GDP growth on an annual basis adjusted for inflation
and expressed as a percent.
Geographic coordinates
This entry includes rounded latitude and longitude figures for the
purpose of finding the approximate geographic center of an entity and
is based on the Gazetteer of Conventional Names, Third Edition, August
1988, US Board on Geographic Names and on other sources.
Geographic names
This information is presented in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of
Geographic Names. It includes a listing of various alternate names,
former names, local names, and regional names referenced to one or more
related Factbook entries. Spellings are normally, but not always, those
approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Alternate names and
additional information are included in parentheses.
Geography
This category includes the entries dealing with the natural environment
and the effects of human activity.
Geography - note
This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of
significance not included elsewhere.
GNP
Gross national product (GNP) is the value of all final goods and
services produced within a nation in a given year, plus income earned
by its citizens abroad, minus income earned by foreigners from domestic
production. The Factbook, following current practice, uses GDP rather
than GNP to measure national production. However, the user must realize
that in certain countries net remittances from citizens working abroad
may be important to national well-being.
Government
This category includes the entries dealing with the system for the
adoption and administration of public policy.
Government type
This entry gives the basic form of government (e.g., republic,
constitutional monarchy, federal republic, parliamentary democracy,
military dictatorship).
Government - note
This entry includes miscellaneous government information of
significance not included elsewhere.
Gross domestic product
see GDP
Gross national product
see GNP
Gross world product
see GWP
GWP
This entry gives the gross world product (GWP) or aggregate value of
all final goods and services produced worldwide in a given year.
Heliports
This entry gives the total number of established helicopter takeoff and
landing sites (which may or may not have fuel or other services).
Highways
This entry includes the total length of the highway system as well as
the length of the paved and unpaved components.
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49)
living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by
dividing the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend
by the total adult population at yearend.
HIV/AIDS - deaths
This entry gives an estimate of the number of adults and children who
died of AIDS during a given calendar year.
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
This entry gives an estimate of all people (adults and children) alive
at yearend with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed
symptoms of AIDS.
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Data on household income or consumption come from household surveys,
the results adjusted for household size. Nations use different
standards and procedures in collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys
based on income will normally show a more unequal distribution than
surveys based on consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with
time, yet caution is still necessary in making inter-country
comparisons.
Hydrographic data codes
see Data codes
Illicit drugs
This entry gives information on the five categories of illicit drugs -
narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and
cannabis. These categories include many drugs legally produced and
prescribed by doctors as well as those illegally produced and sold
outside of medical channels.
Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which
provides hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and includes
marijuana (pot, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC, Marinol), hashish (hash), and hashish oil (hash oil).
Coca (mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that contain
the stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to be confused with
cocoa, which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate,
cocoa, and cocoa butter.
Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca bush.
Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that reduce tension and anxiety
and include chloral hydrate, barbiturates (Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal,
phenobarbital), benzodiazepines (Librium, Valium), methaqualone
(Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden), and others (Equanil, Placidyl,
Valmid).
Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical, mental,
emotional, or behavioral change in an individual.
Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical substance
that results in physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment
in an individual.
Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self-
awareness, and emotion. Hallucinogens include LSD (acid, microdot),
mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons, cactus), amphetamine variants
(PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine
analogues (PCE, PCPy, TCP), and others (psilocybin, psilocyn).
Hashish is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp plant
(Cannabis sativa).
Heroin is a semisynthetic derivative of morphine.
Mandrax is a trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical
depressant.
Marijuana is the dried leaf of the cannabis or hemp plant
(Cannabis sativa).
Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical depressant, referred to as
mandrax in Southwest Asia and Africa.
Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain, often induce sleep, and
refer to opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic substitutes. Natural
narcotics include opium (paregoric, parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin,
Roxanol), codeine (Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine,
Robitussan AC), and thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin
(horse, smack), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics
include meperidine or Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan), methadone
(Dolophine, Methadose), and others (Darvon, Lomotil).
Opium is the brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe seedpod
of the opium poppy.
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the natural and
semisynthetic narcotics.
Poppy straw concentrate is the alkaloid derived from the mature,
dried opium poppy.
Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the buds or leaves of Catha
edulis that is chewed or drunk as tea.
Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone, a
pharmaceutical depressant.
Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase energy
and activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines
(Desoxyn, Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy (clarity, essence, doctor,
Adam), phenmetrazine (Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others
(Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate).
Imports
This entry provides the total US dollar amount of imports on a c.i.f.
(cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis.
Imports - commodities
This entry provides a rank ordering of imported products starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
Imports - partners
This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
Independence
For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was
achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other
countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the
strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the
traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation,
confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of
government, or state succession. Dependent areas include the notation
"none" followed by the nature of their dependency status. Also see the
Terminology note.
Industrial production growth rate
This entry gives the annual percentage increase in industrial
production (includes manufacturing, mining, and construction).
Industries
This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting with the
largest by value of annual output.
Infant mortality rate
This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in
a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year. This rate is often
used as an indicator of the level of health in a country.
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
This entry furnishes the annual percent change in consumer prices
compared with the previous year's consumer prices.
Internet country code
This entry includes the two-letter codes maintained by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166
Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs).
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
This entry supplies the number of Internet Service Providers within a
country. An ISP is defined as a company that provides access to the
Internet.
Internet users
This entry gives the number of users within a country that access the
Internet. Statistics vary from country to country and may include
users who access the Internet at least several times a week to those
who access it only once within a period of several months.
International disputes
see Disputes - international
International organization participation
This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those
international organizations in which the subject country is a member or
participates in some other way.
International organizations
This information is presented in Appendix B: International
Organizations and Groups which includes the name, abbreviation, date
established, aim, and members by category.
Introduction
This category includes one entry, Background.
Irrigated land
This entry gives the number of square kilometers of land area that is
artificially supplied with water.
Judicial branch
This entry contains the name(s) of the highest court(s) and a brief
description of the selection process for members.
Labor force
This entry contains the total labor force figure.
Labor force - by occupation
This entry contains a rank ordering of component parts of the labor
force by occupation.
Land boundaries
This entry contains the total length of all land boundaries and the
individual lengths for each of the contiguous border countries.
Land use
This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area for five
different types of land use: arable land - land cultivated for crops
that are replanted after each harvest like wheat, maize, and rice;
permanent crops - land cultivated for crops that are not replanted
after each harvest like citrus, coffee, and rubber; permanent pastures
- land permanently used for herbaceous forage crops; forests and
woodland - land under dense or open stands of trees; other - any land
type not specifically mentioned above, such as urban areas, roads,
desert, etc.
Languages
This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with the
largest and sometimes includes the percent of total population speaking
that language.
Legal system
This entry contains a brief description of the legal system's
historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of International
Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.
Legislative branch
This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral,
bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of
office. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession
to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election.
Election results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats
held by each party in the last election.
Life expectancy at birth
This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group
of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains
constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as
the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a
measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the
mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the
potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for
the calculation of various actuarial measures.
Literacy
This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau
percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no
universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise
specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the
ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards
that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write
is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not
a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily
available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of
literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development
of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.
Location
This entry identifies the country's regional location, neighboring
countries, and adjacent bodies of water.
Map references
This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference map on which a
country may be found. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be
helpful in finding some smaller countries.
Maritime claims
This entry includes the following claims: contiguous zone, continental
shelf, exclusive economic zone, exclusive fishing zone, extended
fishing zone, none (usually for a landlocked country), other (unique
maritime claims like Libya's Gulf of Sidra Closing Line or North
Korea's Military Boundary Line), and territorial sea. The proximity of
neighboring states may prevent some national claims from being extended
the full distance.
Merchant marine
Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of
goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships),
which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc.; or a
grouping of merchant ships by nationality or register. This entry
contains information in two subfields - total and ships by type. Total
includes the total number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for
those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage
is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc. that a ship
can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross
register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered
volume of the ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it
to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable
relationship between GRT and DWT. Ships by type includes a listing of
barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers,
combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container
ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional
large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships,
passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships,
roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized
tankers, and vehicle carriers.
A captive register is a register of ships maintained by a
territory, possession, or colony primarily or exclusively for the use
of ships owned in the parent country; it is also referred to as an
offshore register, the offshore equivalent of an internal register.
Ships on a captive register will fly the same flag as the parent
country, or a local variant of it, but will be subject to the maritime
laws and taxation rules of the offshore territory. Although the nature
of a captive register makes it especially desirable for ships owned in
the parent country, just as in the internal register, the ships may
also be owned abroad. The captive register then acts as a flag of
convenience register, except that it is not the register of an
independent state.
A flag of convenience register is a national register offering
registration to a merchant ship not owned in the flag state. The major
flags of convenience (FOC) attract ships to their registers by virtue
of low fees, low or nonexistent taxation of profits, and liberal
manning requirements. True FOC registers are characterized by having
relatively few of the registered ships actually owned in the flag
state. Thus, while virtually any flag can be used for ships under a
given set of circumstances, an FOC register is one where the majority
of the merchant fleet is owned abroad. It is also referred to as an
open register.
A flag state is the nation in which a ship is registered and which
holds legal jurisdiction over operation of the ship, whether at home or
abroad. Maritime legislation of the flag state determines how a ship is
crewed and taxed and whether a foreign-owned ship may be placed on the
register.
An internal register is a register of ships maintained as a subset
of a national register. Ships on the internal register fly the national
flag and have that nationality but are subject to a separate set of
maritime rules from those on the main national register. These
differences usually include lower taxation of profits, use of foreign
nationals as crewmembers, and, usually, ownership outside the flag
state (when it functions as an FOC register). The Norwegian
International Ship Register and Danish International Ship Register are
the most notable examples of an internal register. Both have been
instrumental in stemming flight from the national flag to flags of
convenience and in attracting foreign-owned ships to the Norwegian and
Danish flags.
A merchant ship is a vessel that carries goods against payment of
freight; it is commonly used to denote any nonmilitary ship but
accurately restricted to commercial vessels only.
A register is the record of a ship's ownership and nationality as
listed with the maritime authorities of a country; also, it is the
compendium of such individual ships' registrations. Registration of a
ship provides it with a nationality and makes it subject to the laws of
the country in which registered (the flag state) regardless of the
nationality of the ship's ultimate owner.
Military
This category includes the entries dealing with a country's military
structure, manpower, and expenditures.
Military branches
This entry lists the names of the ground, naval, air, marine, and other
defense or security forces.
Military expenditures - dollar figure
This entry gives current military expenditures in US dollars; the
figure is calculated by multiplying the estimated defense spending in
percentage terms by the gross domestic product (GDP) calculated on an
exchange rate basis not purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. However,
in the case of Russia, estimates of military expenditures have been
made using PPP. Dollar figures for military expenditures should be
treated with caution because of different price patterns and accounting
methods among nations, as well as wide variations in the strength of
their currencies.
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
This entry gives current military expenditures as an estimated percent
of gross domestic product (GDP).
Military manpower - availability
This entry gives the total numbers of males and females age 15-49 and
assumes that every individual is fit to serve.
Military manpower - fit for military service
This entry gives the number of males and females age 15-49 fit for
military service. This is a more refined measure of potential military
manpower availability which tries to correct for the health situation
in the country and reduces the maximum potential number to a more
realistic estimate of the actual number fit to serve.
Military manpower - military age
This entry gives the minimum age at which an individual may volunteer
for military service or be subject to conscription.
Military manpower - reaching military age annually
This entry gives the number of draft-age males and females entering the
military manpower pool in any given year and is a measure of the
availability of draft-age young adults.
Military - note
This entry includes miscellaneous military information of significance
not included elsewhere.
Money figures
All money figures are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars unless
otherwise indicated.
National holiday
This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually
independence day.
Nationality
This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun and
adjective.
Natural hazards
This entry lists potential natural disasters.
Natural resources
This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other
resources of commercial importance.
Net migration rate
This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of
persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000
persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering
the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56
migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as
net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net
migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall
level of population change. High levels of migration can cause problems
such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic strife (if people
are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force, perhaps in certain
key sectors (if people are leaving).
People
This category includes the entries dealing with the characteristics of
the people and their society.
People - note
This entry includes miscellaneous demographic information of
significance not included elsewhere.
Personal Names - Capitalization
The Factbook capitalizes the surname or family name of individuals for
the convenience of our users who are faced with a world of different
cultures and naming conventions. An example would be President SADDAM
Husayn of Iraq. Saddam is his name and Husayn is his father's name. He
may be referred to as President SADDAM Husayn or President SADDAM, but
not President Husayn. The need for capitalization, bold type,
underlining, italics, or some other indicator of the individual's
surname is apparent in the following examples: MAO Zedong, Fidel
CASTRO Ruz, George W. BUSH, and TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni
Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah. By knowing the surname, a
short form without all capital letters can be used with confidence as
in President Saddam, President Castro, Chairman Mao, President Bush, or
Sultan Tunku Salahuddin. The same system of capitalization is extended
to the names of leaders with surnames that are not commonly used such
as Queen ELIZABETH II.
Personal Names - Spelling
The romanization of personal names in the Factbook normally follows the
same transliteration system used by the US Board on Geographic Names
for spelling place names. At times, however, a foreign leader
expressly indicates a preference for, or the media or official
documents regularly use, a romanized spelling that differs from the
transliteration derived from the US Government standard. In such
cases, the Factbook uses the alternative spelling.
Personal Names - Titles
The Factbook capitalizes any valid title (or short form of it)
immediately preceding a person's name. A title standing alone is
lowercased. Examples: President PUTIN and President BUSH are chiefs of
state. In Russia, the president is chief of state and the premier is
the head of the government, while in the US, the president is both
chief of state and head of government.
Pipelines
This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting
products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.
Political parties and leaders
This entry includes a listing of significant political organizations
and their leaders.
Political pressure groups and leaders
This entry includes a listing of organizations with leaders involved in
politics, but not standing for legislative election.
Population
This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on
statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration
systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on
assumptions about future trends. The total population presents one
overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world and
within its region. Note: starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic
estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken
into account the effects of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin, Botswana,
Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central
African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the
Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South
Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe.
Population below poverty line
National estimates of the percentage of the population lying below the
poverty line are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results
weighted by the number of people in each group. Definitions of poverty
vary considerably among nations. For example, rich nations generally
employ more generous standards of poverty than poor nations.
Population growth rate
The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a
surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants
entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative.
The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be
imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for
infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources
(e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can
be seen as threatening by neighboring countries.
Ports and harbors
This entry lists the major ports and harbors selected on the basis of
overall importance to each country. This is determined by evaluating a
number of factors (e.g., dollar value of goods handled, gross tonnage,
facilities, military significance).
Radio broadcast stations
This entry includes the total number of AM, FM, and shortwave broadcast
stations.
Radios
This entry gives the total number of radio receivers.
Railways
This entry includes the total route length of the railway network and
of its component parts by gauge: broad, dual, narrow, standard, and
other.
Reference maps
This section includes world, regional, and special or current interest
maps.
Religions
This entry includes a rank ordering of religions by adherents starting
with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total
population.
Sex ratio
This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age
groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and
for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an
indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For
instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now
attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong
preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and
fertility patterns. Eventually it could cause unrest among young adult
males who are unable to find partners.
Suffrage
This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to
vote is universal or restricted.
Telephone numbers
All telephone numbers in the Factbook consist of the country code in
brackets, the city or area code (where required) in parentheses, and
the local number. The one component that is not presented is the
international access code, which varies from country to country. For
example, an international direct dial telephone call placed from the US
to Madrid, Spain, would be as follows:
011 [34] (1) 577-xxxx, where
011 is the international access code for station-to-station calls;
01 is for calls other than station-to-station calls,
[34] is the country code for Spain,
(1) is the city code for Madrid,
577 is the local exchange, and
xxxx is the local telephone number.
An international direct dial telephone call placed from another country
to the US would be as follows:
international access code + [1] (202) 939-xxxx, where
[1] is the country code for the US,
(202) is the area code for Washington, DC,
939 is the local exchange, and
xxxx is the local telephone number.
Telephone system
This entry includes a brief characterization of the system with details
on the domestic and international components. The following terms and
abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
Africa ONE - a fiber-optic submarine cable link encircling the
continent of Africa.
Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia).
Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense).
CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications.
cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are
radio transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio
frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in
its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a regular
telephone exchange.
Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay
system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each
other.
coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of a
central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical
conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made
available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of
carrier frequencies.
Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US).
DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network
or Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the
Defense Communications System (US Department of Defense).
Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization
(Paris).
fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a
thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the
signal (voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light.
GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised
by the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization
organization, Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications
(CEPT) in 1982.
HF - high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-
kHz range.
Inmarsat - International Mobile Satellite Organization (London);
provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial,
distress, and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land.
Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
(Washington, DC).
Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications
(Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East
European countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with
earth stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia.
landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is
installed on poles or buried in the ground.
Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the
Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency.
Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate in
the Inmarsat system.
Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern
telecommunications network, primarily by microwave radio relay, linking
Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; it was initially started in
Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was
known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications
Network.
microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone
calls and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves
that are received and sent on from one booster station to another on an
optical path.
NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system
that was developed jointly by the national telecommunications
authorities of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway,
and Sweden).
Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a
packet-switched digital telephone network.
radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and
reception of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using
telephone handsets.
PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT).
satellite communication system - a communication system consisting
of two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide
long distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system
usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if
the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system.
satellite earth station - a communications facility with a
microwave radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required
receiving and transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites.
satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an
earth station permitting communication between them, either one-way
(down link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only
transmission) or two-way (telephone channels).
SHF - super high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to
30,000-MHz range.
shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall
above the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over
long distances.
Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of
international telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere.
Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite
telecommunications.
submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water.
TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity
submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America.
telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the
public switched telephone network or the international Datel network.
telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated
electric impulse transmission.
telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters
connected by wire through automatic exchanges.
tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in
which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the
incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional
antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals;
reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances up
to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the range of
this system for very long distances.
trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by
multichannel trunk lines.
UHF - ultra high frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to
3,000-MHz range.
VHF - very high frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-
MHz range.
Telephones - main lines in use
This entry gives the total number of main telephone lines in use.
Telephones - mobile cellular
This entry gives the total number of mobile cellular telephones in use.
Television - broadcast stations
This entry gives the total number of separate broadcast stations plus
any repeater stations.
Televisions
This entry gives the total number of television sets.
Terminology
Due to the highly structured nature of the Factbook database, some
collective generic terms have to be used. For example, the word Country
in the Country name entry refers to a wide variety of dependencies,
areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other entities
in addition to the traditional countries or independent states.
Military is also used as an umbrella term for various civil defense,
security, and defense activities in many entries. The Independence
entry includes the usual colonial independence dates and former ruling
states as well as other significant nationhood dates such as the
traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation,
confederation, establishment, or state succession that are not strictly
independence dates. Dependent areas have the nature of their dependency
status noted in this same entry.
Terrain
This entry contains a brief description of the topography.
Total fertility rate
This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would
be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing
years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each
age. The total fertility rate is a more direct measure of the level of
fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per
woman. This indicator shows the potential for population growth in the
country. High rates will also place some limits on the labor force
participation rates for women. Large numbers of children born to women
indicate large family sizes that might limit the ability of the
families to feed and educate their children.
Transnational Issues
This category includes only two entries at the present time - Disputes
- international and Illicit drugs - that deal with current issues going
beyond national boundaries.
Transportation
This category includes the entries dealing with the means for movement
of people and goods.
Transportation - note
This entry includes miscellaneous transportation information of
significance not included elsewhere.
Unemployment rate
This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without
jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.
Waterways
This entry gives the total length and individual names of navigable
rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.
Years
All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as
fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is an accounting period of 12
months from 1 January to 31 December. The fiscal year is an accounting
period of 12 months other than 1 January to 31 December.
Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was compiled from
material in the public domain and does not represent Intelligence
Community estimates.
=====================================================================
A Brief History of Basic Intelligence and The World Factbook
The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which information is acquired,
converted into intelligence, and made available to policymakers.
Information is raw data from any source, data that may be fragmentary,
contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous, deceptive, or wrong.
Intelligence is information that has been collected, integrated,
evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted. Finished intelligence is the
final product of the Intelligence Cycle ready to be delivered to the
policymaker.
The three types of finished intelligence are: basic, current, and
estimative. Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and factual
reference material on a country or issue. Current intelligence reports
on new developments. Estimative intelligence judges probable outcomes.
The three are mutually supportive: basic intelligence is the foundation
on which the other two are constructed; current intelligence
continually updates the inventory of knowledge; and estimative
intelligence revises overall interpretations of country and issue
prospects for guidance of basic and current intelligence. The World
Factbook, The President's Daily Brief, and the National Intelligence
Estimates are examples of the three types of finished intelligence.
The United States has carried on foreign intelligence activities since
the days of George Washington but only since World War II have they
been coordinated on a government-wide basis. Three programs have
highlighted the development of coordinated basic intelligence since
that time: (1) the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS), (2)
the National Intelligence Survey (NIS), and (3) The World Factbook.
During World War II, intelligence consumers realized that the
production of basic intelligence by different components of the US
Government resulted in a great duplication of effort and conflicting
information. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought home
to leaders in Congress and the executive branch the need for
integrating departmental reports to national policymakers. Detailed and
coordinated information was needed not only on such major powers as
Germany and Japan, but also on places of little previous interest. In
the Pacific Theater, for example, the Navy and Marines had to launch
amphibious operations against many islands about which information was
unconfirmed or nonexistent. Intelligence authorities resolved that the
United States should never again be caught unprepared.
In 1943, Gen. George B. Strong (G-2), Adm. H. C. Train (Office of Naval
Intelligence - ONI), and Gen. William J. Donovan (Director of the
Office of Strategic Services - OSS) decided that a joint effort should
be initiated. A steering committee was appointed on 27 April 1943 that
recommended the formation of a Joint Intelligence Study Publishing
Board to assemble, edit, coordinate, and publish the Joint Army Navy
Intelligence Studies (JANIS). JANIS was the first interdepartmental
basic intelligence program to fulfill the needs of the US Government
for an authoritative and coordinated appraisal of strategic basic
intelligence. Between April 1943 and July 1947, the board published 34
JANIS studies. JANIS performed well in the war effort, and numerous
letters of commendation were received, including a statement from Adm.
Forrest Sherman, Chief of Staff, Pacific Ocean Areas, which said,
"JANIS has become the indispensable reference work for the shore-based
planners."
The need for more comprehensive basic intelligence in the postwar world
was well expressed in 1946 by George S. Pettee, a noted author on
national security. He wrote in The Future of American Secret
Intelligence (Infantry Journal Press, 1946, page 46) that world
leadership in peace requires even more elaborate intelligence than in
war. "The conduct of peace involves all countries, all human activities
- not just the enemy and his war production."
The Central Intelligence Agency was established on 26 July 1947 and
officially began operating on 18 September 1947. Effective 1 October
1947, the Director of Central Intelligence assumed operational
responsibility for JANIS. On 13 January 1948, the National Security
Council issued Intelligence Directive (NSCID) No. 3, which authorized
the National Intelligence Survey (NIS) program as a peacetime
replacement for the wartime JANIS program. Before adequate NIS country
sections could be produced, government agencies had to develop more
comprehensive gazetteers and better maps. The US Board on Geographic
Names (BGN) compiled the names; the Department of the Interior produced
the gazetteers; and CIA produced the maps.
The Hoover Commission's Clark Committee, set up in 1954 to study the
structure and administration of the CIA, reported to Congress in 1955
that: "The National Intelligence Survey is an invaluable publication
which provides the essential elements of basic intelligence on all
areas of the world. There will always be a continuing requirement for
keeping the Survey up-to-date." The Factbook was created as an annual
summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first
classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first
unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was
terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer
components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the
public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The
1996 edition was printed by GPO, and the 1997 edition was reprinted by
GPO. The year 2001 marks the 54th anniversary of the establishment of
the Central Intelligence Agency and the 58th year of continuous basic
intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and its
two predecessor programs.
=====================================================================
Contributors and Copyright Information
In general, information available as of 1 January 2001 was used in the
preparation of this edition.
The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for
the use of US Government officials, and the style, format, coverage,
and content are designed to meet their specific requirements.
Information is provided by Antarctic Information Program (National
Science Foundation), Bureau of the Census (Department of Commerce),
Bureau of Labor Statistics (Department of Labor), Central Intelligence
Agency, Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, Defense
Intelligence Agency (Department of Defense), Department of State, Fish
and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior), Maritime
Administration (Department of Transportation), National Imagery and
Mapping Agency (Department of Defense), Naval Facilities Engineering
Command (Department of Defense), Office of Insular Affairs (Department
of the Interior), Office of Naval Intelligence (Department of Defense),
US Board on Geographic Names (Department of the Interior), US
Transportation Command (Department of Defense), and other public and
private sources.
The Factbook is in the public domain. Accordingly, it may be copied
freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The official seal of the CIA, however, may NOT be copied without
permission as required by the CIA Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. section
403m). Misuse of the official seal of the CIA could result in civil
and criminal penalties.
Comments and queries are welcome and may be addressed to:
Central Intelligence Agency
Attn.: Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20505
Telephone: [1] (703) 482-0623
FAX: [1] (703) 482-1739
=====================================================================
Purchasing Information
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) publishes The World Factbook in
printed and Internet versions. US Government officials may obtain
information about availability of the Factbook from their organizations
or through liaison channels to the CIA. Other users may obtain sales
information about printed copies from the following:
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http://www.ntis.gov/
The World Factbook can be accessed on the Internet at:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
=====================================================================
@Afghanistan
Afghanistan Introduction
Background: Afghanistan was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union
in 1979. The USSR was forced to withdraw 10 years later by
anti-communist mujahidin forces supplied and trained by the US,
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Fighting subsequently continued
among the various mujahidin factions, but the fundamentalist Islamic
Taliban movement has been able to seize most of the country. In
addition to the continuing civil strife, the country suffers from
enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land
mines.
Afghanistan Geography
Location: Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 65 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 647,500 sq km
land: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 5,529 km
border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km,
Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite,
talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and
semiprecious stones
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 39% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
flooding; droughts
Environment - current issues: soil degradation; overgrazing;
deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for
fuel and building materials); desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: landlocked
Afghanistan People
Population: 26,813,057 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.2% (male 5,775,921; female 5,538,836)
15-64 years: 55.01% (male 7,644,242; female 7,106,568)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 394,444; female 353,046) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.48% (2001 est.)
note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran
Birth rate: 41.42 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 17.72 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 11.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 147.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.24 years
male: 46.97 years
female: 45.47 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.79 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic
groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 12%, Uzbek 6%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Languages: Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages
(primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily
Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 31.5%
male: 47.2%
female: 15% (1999 est.)
Afghanistan Government
Country name: conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan;
note - the self-proclaimed Taliban government refers to the country
as Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
Government type: no functioning central government, administered by
factions
Capital: Kabul
Administrative divisions: 30 provinces (velayat, singular -
velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah,
Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar,
Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan,
Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol;
note - there may be two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and
Khowst
Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign
affairs)
National holiday: Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Constitution: none
Legal system: a new legal system has not been adopted but all
factions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a (Islamic law)
Suffrage: NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Executive branch: on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the
Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban
movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning
government at this time, and the country remains divided among
fighting factions
note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate
government of Afghanistan; however, the UN still recognizes the
government of Burhanuddin RABBANI; the Organization of the Islamic
Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of
legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations among the warring
factions; the country is essentially divided along ethnic lines; the
Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and approximately two-thirds
of the country including the predominately ethnic Pashtun areas in
southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have their stronghold in the
ethnically diverse north
Legislative branch: non-functioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch: upper courts were non-functioning as of March 1995
(local Shari'a or Islamic law courts are functioning throughout the
country)
Political parties and leaders: Taliban (Religious Students Movement)
[Mullah Mohammad OMAR]; United National Islamic Front for the
Salvation of Afghanistan or UNIFSA [Burhanuddin RABBANI, chairman;
Gen. Abdul Rashid DOSTAM, vice chairman; Ahmad Shah MASOOD, military
commander; Mohammed Yunis QANUNI, spokesman]; note - made up of 13
parties opposed to the Taliban including Harakat-i-Islami
Afghanistan (Islamic Movement of Afghanistan), Hizb-i-Islami
(Islamic Party), Hizb-i-Wahdat-i-Islami (Islamic Unity Party),
Jumaat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Afghan Society),
Jumbish-i-Milli (National Front), Mahaz-i-Milli-i-Islami (National
Islamic Front)
Political pressure groups and leaders: Afghan refugees in Pakistan,
Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Mellat
(Social Democratic Party) [leader NA]; Peshawar, Pakistan-based
groups such as the Coordination Council for National Unity and
Understanding in Afghanistan or CUNUA [Ishaq GAILANI]; tribal elders
represent traditional Pashtun leadership; Writers Union of Free
Afghanistan or WUFA [A. Rasul AMIN]
International organization participation: AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - embassy operations
suspended 21 August 1997
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US embassy in Kabul has
been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the
emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions
above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by
a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by
two crossed scimitars
note: the Taliban uses a plain white flag
Afghanistan Economy
Economy - overview: Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked
country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep
and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to
political and military upheavals during two decades of war,
including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended
15 February 1989). During that conflict one-third of the population
fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak
of more than 6 million refugees. In early 2000, 2 million Afghan
refugees remained in Pakistan and about 1.4 million in Iran. Gross
domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 20 years
because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade
and transport; severe drought added to the nation's difficulties in
1998-2000. The majority of the population continues to suffer from
insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation
remains a serious problem throughout the country. International aid
can deal with only a fraction of the humanitarian problem, let alone
promote economic development. In 1999-2000, internal civil strife
continued, hampering both domestic economic policies and
international aid efforts. Numerical data are likely to be either
unavailable or unreliable. Afghanistan was by far the largest
producer of opium poppies in 2000, and narcotics trafficking is a
major source of revenue.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 53%
industry: 28.5%
services: 18.5% (1990)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 10 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 15%, services
15% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture,
shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil,
coal, copper
Electricity - production: 420 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 35.71%
hydro: 64.29%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 480.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 90 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: opium poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool,
mutton, karakul pelts
Exports: $80 million (does not include opium) (1996 est.)
Exports - commodities: opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets,
wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK,
Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic
Imports: $150 million (1996 est.)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, food and petroleum products;
most consumer goods
Imports - partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India,
South Korea, Germany
Debt - external: $5.5 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: US provided about $70 million in
humanitarian assistance in 1997; US continues to contribute to
multilateral assistance through the UN programs of food aid,
immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees
and displaced persons
Currency: afghani (AFA)
Currency code: AFA
Exchange rates: afghanis per US dollar - 4,700 (January 2000), 4,750
(February 1999), 17,000 (December 1996), 7,000 (January 1995), 1,900
(January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991); note - these rates
reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official
exchange rate, which was fixed at 50.600 afghanis to the dollar
until 1996, when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar, and finally became
fixed again at 3,000.00 per dollar in April 1996
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
Afghanistan Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 29,000 (1996)
note: there were 21,000 main lines in service in Kabul in 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: very limited telephone and
telegraph service
domestic: in 1997, telecommunications links were established
between Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabul
through satellite and microwave systems
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);
commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7 (6 are inactive; the active station
is in Kabul), FM 1, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pushtu, Dari, Urdu,
and English) (1999)
Radios: 167,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: at least 10 (one government run
central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of
the 30 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced
schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif
reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998)
Televisions: 100,000 (1999)
Internet country code: .af
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Afghanistan Transportation
Railways: total: 24.6 km
broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to
Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to
Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya
Highways: total: 21,000 km
paved: 2,793 km
unpaved: 18,207 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 1,200 km
note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels with DWT up to about
500 (2001)
Pipelines: petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and
Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km
Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports: 45 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 10
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 3 (2000 est.)
Afghanistan Military
Military branches: NA; note - the military does not exist on a
national basis; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air
Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police
Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias still exist but are
factionalized among the various groups
Military manpower - military age: 22 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 6,645,023 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
3,561,957 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 252,869
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Afghanistan Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: support to Islamic militants worldwide by
some factions; question over which group should hold Afghanistan's
seat at the UN
Illicit drugs: world's largest illicit opium producer, surpassing
Burma (potential production in 1999 - 1,670 metric tons; cultivation
in 1999 - 51,500 hectares, a 23% increase over 1998); a major source
of hashish; increasing number of heroin-processing laboratories
being set up in the country; major political factions in the country
profit from drug trade
======================================================================
@Albania
Albania Introduction
Background: In 1990 Albania ended 44 years of xenophobic communist
rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has
proven difficult as corrupt governments have tried to deal with high
unemployment, a dilapidated infrastructure, widespread gangsterism,
and disruptive political opponents. International observers judged
local elections in 2000 to be acceptable and a step toward
democratic development, but serious deficiencies remain to be
corrected before the the 2001 parliamentary elections.
Albania Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian
Sea, between Greece and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia 151 km, Yugoslavia 287 km
Coastline: 362 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry
summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
timber, nickel, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,410 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along
southwestern coast; drought
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links
Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
Albania People
Population: 3,510,484 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.53% (male 536,495; female 500,026)
15-64 years: 63.48% (male 1,073,351; female 1,155,115)
65 years and over: 6.99% (male 107,476; female 138,021) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.88% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 19.01 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 39.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.83 years
male: 69.01 years
female: 74.87 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.32 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (2000 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian
Ethnic groups: Albanian 95%, Greeks 3%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies,
Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from
1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Religions: Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious
observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing
private religious practice
Languages: Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
Literacy: definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 93% (1997 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Albania Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Albania
conventional short form: Albania
local long form: Republika e Shqiperise
local short form: Shqiperia
former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Government type: emerging democracy
Capital: Tirana
Administrative divisions: 36 districts (rrethe, singular - rreth)
and 1 municipality* (bashki); Berat, Bulqize, Delvine, Devoll
(Bilisht), Diber (Peshkopi), Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster,
Gramsh, Has (Krume), Kavaje, Kolonje (Erseke), Korce, Kruje, Kucove,
Kukes, Kurbin, Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Malesi e Madhe (Koplik),
Mallakaster (Ballsh), Mat (Burrel), Mirdite (Rreshen), Peqin,
Permet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar (Corovode),
Tepelene, Tirane (Tirana), Tirane* (Tirana), Tropoje (Bajram Curri),
Vlore
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912)
Constitution: a new constitution was adopted by popular referendum
on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party
boycotted the vote
Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President of the Republic Rexhep
MEIDANI (since 24 July 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Ilir META (since 29 October 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 24 July 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Rexhep MEIDANI elected president; People's
Assembly vote by number - total votes 122, for 110, against 3,
abstained 2, invalid 7
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor
(155 seats; most members are elected by direct popular vote and some
by proportional vote for four-year terms)
elections: last held 29 June 1997 (next held 24 June 2001, 2nd
round 8 July 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - PS 53.36%, PD 25.33%,
PSD 2.5%, PBDNJ 2.78%, PBK 2.36%, PAD 2.85%, PR 2.25%, PLL 3.09%,
PDK 1.00%, PBSD 0.84%; seats by party - PS 101, PD 27, PSD 8, PBDNJ
4, PBK 3, PAD 2, PR 2, PLL 2, PDK 1, PBSD 1, PUK 1, independents 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's
Assembly for a four-year term)
Political parties and leaders: Albanian National Front (Balli
Kombetar) or PBK [Abaz ERMENJI]; Albanian Republican Party or PR
[Fatmir MEDIU]; Albanian Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albania
Workers Party) [Fatos NANO, chairman]; Christian Democratic Party or
PDK [Zef BUSHATI]; Democratic Alliance or PAD [Neritan CEKA];
Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Group of Reformist Democrats
[Leonard NDOKA]; Liberal Union Party [Teodor LACO]; note - Teodor
LACO of the Liberal Union Party was leader of the Social Democratic
Union of Albania or PBSD; Movement of Legality Party or PLL [Nderim
KUPI]; OMONIA [Vagjelis DULES]; Party of National Unity or PUK
[Idajet BEQUIRI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI];
Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT (associate), BSEC,
CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Petrit BUSHATI
chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942
FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Joseph LIMPRECHT
embassy: Rruga Elbasanit Labinoti 103, Tirana
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100(A), APO AE 09624
telephone: [355] (42) 32875, 33520
FAX: [355] (42) 32222
Flag description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
Albania Economy
Economy - overview: Poor by European standards, Albania is making
the difficult transition to a more open-market economy. The economy
rebounded in 1993-95 after a severe depression accompanying the end
of the previous centrally planned system in 1990 and 1991. However,
a weakening of government resolve to maintain stabilization policies
in the election year of 1996 contributed to renewal of inflationary
pressures, spurred by the budget deficit which exceeded 12% of GDP.
The collapse of financial pyramid schemes in early 1997 - which had
attracted deposits from a substantial portion of Albania's
population - triggered severe social unrest which led to more than
1,500 deaths, widespread destruction of property, and a 7% drop in
GDP. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to
revive economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by
remittances from some 20% of the labor force that works abroad,
mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP and
help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Most agricultural land
was privatized in 1992, substantially improving peasant incomes. In
1998, Albania recovered the 7% drop in GDP of 1997 and pushed ahead
by 8% in 1999 and by 7.5% in 2000. International aid helped defray
the high costs of receiving and returning refugees from the Kosovo
conflict. Privatization scored some successes in 2000, but other
reforms lagged.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.5 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 55%
industry: 24%
services: 21% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 19.6% (1996 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.692 million (including 352,000 emigrant workers and
261,000 domestically unemployed) (1994 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, industry and services
50%
Unemployment rate: 16% (2000 est.) officially; may be as high as 25%
Budget: revenues: $393 million
expenditures: $676 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil,
cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Industrial production growth rate: 9% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 5.332 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.81%
hydro: 96.19%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 5.379 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 100 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 600 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits,
sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products
Exports: $310 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and
metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Exports - partners: Italy 67%, Greece 15%, Germany 5%, Austria 2%,
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2% (2000)
Imports: $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs,
textiles, chemicals
Imports - partners: Italy 37%, Greece 28%, Turkey 6%, Germany 6%,
Bulgaria 3% (2000)
Debt - external: $1 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; aid for energy from China, Germany,
Norway (2000)
Currency: lek (ALL)
Currency code: ALL
Exchange rates: leke per US dollar - 146.08 (December 2000),143.71
(2000) 137.69 (1999), 150.63 (1998), 148.93 (1997), 104.50 (1996);
note - leke is the plural of lek
Fiscal year: calendar year
Albania Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 87,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,100 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: Albania has the poorest
telephone service in Europe with fewer than two telephones per 100
inhabitants; it is doubtful that every village has telephone service
domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for
every village; in 1992, following the fall of the communist
government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used
it to build fences
international: inadequate; international traffic carried by
microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios: 810,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 9 (plus 264 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 405,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .al
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (2000)
Internet users: 2,500 (2000)
Albania Transportation
Railways: total: 447 km
standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2001)
Highways: total: 18,000 km
paved: 5,400 km
unpaved: 12,600 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 43 km
note: includes Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and
Lake Prespa (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas
64 km (1991)
Ports and harbors: Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 17,797
GRT/26,324 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9 (2000 est.)
Airports: 11 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Albania Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior
Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 870,768 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
712,763 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 35,792
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $42 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY99)
Albania Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: the Albanian Government supports
protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders
but has downplayed them to further its primary foreign policy goal
of regional cooperation; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks
independence from Yugoslavia; Albanians in The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to
public-sector jobs, and representation in government
Illicit drugs: increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest
Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and
- to a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for
Western Europe; limited opium and cannabis production; ethnic
Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and rapidly expanding
in Europe
======================================================================
@Algeria
Algeria Introduction
Background: After a century of rule by France, Algeria became
independent in 1962. The surprising first round success of the
fundamentalist FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) party in December 1991
balloting caused the army to intervene, crack down on the FIS, and
postpone the subsequent elections. The FIS response has resulted in
a continuous low-grade civil conflict with the secular state
apparatus, which nonetheless has allowed elections featuring
pro-government and moderate religious-based parties. FIS's armed
wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded itself in January 2000
and many armed militants surrendered under an amnesty program
designed to promote national reconciliation. Nevertheless, residual
fighting continues. Other concerns include large-scale unemployment
and the need to diversify the petroleum-based economy.
Algeria Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Morocco and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 3 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 2,381,740 sq km
land: 2,381,740 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 6,343 km
border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km,
Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km
Coastline: 998 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers
along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high
plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in
summer
Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
uranium, lead, zinc
Land use: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 2%
other: 82% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,550 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes;
mud slides
Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing and
other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw
sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is
leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean
Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion,
and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
Algeria People
Population: 31,736,053 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.21% (male 5,528,755; female 5,328,083)
15-64 years: 61.72% (male 9,901,319; female 9,687,449)
65 years and over: 4.07% (male 594,973; female 695,474) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.71% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 22.76 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 40.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.95 years
male: 68.6 years
female: 71.34 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.07% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Algerian(s)
adjective: Algerian
Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Languages: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.6%
male: 73.9%
female: 49% (1995 est.)
Algeria Government
Country name: conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic
of Algeria
conventional short form: Algeria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash
Sha'biyah
local short form: Al Jaza'ir
Government type: republic
Capital: Algiers
Administrative divisions: 48 provinces (wilayas, singular - wilaya);
Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar,
Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef,
Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma,
Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila,
Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane,
Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset,
Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen
Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)
Constitution: 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised
3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996; note -
referendum approving the revisions of 28 November 1996 was signed
into law 7 December 1996
Legal system: socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial
review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed
of various public officials, including several Supreme Court
justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA
(since 28 April 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Ali BENFLIS (since 26 August
2000)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 15 April 1999 (next to be held NA April 2004);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA elected president; percent
of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA over 70%; note - his six opposing
candidates withdrew on the eve of the election citing electoral fraud
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National
People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (380 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the
Council of Nations (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by
the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve
six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be
renewed every three years)
elections: National People's Assembly - last held 5 June 1997 (next
to be held NA 2002); Council of Nations - last held 30 December 2000
(next to be held NA 2003)
election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by
party - RND 40.8%, MSP 18.2%, FLN 16.8%, Nahda Movement 8.9%, FFS
5%, RCD 5%, PT 1.1%, Progressive Republican Party 0.8%, Union for
Democracy and Liberty 0.3%, Social Liberal Party 0.3%, independents
2.8%; seats by party - RND 155, MSP 69, FLN 64, Nahda Movement 34,
FFS 19, RCD 19, PT 4, Progressive Republican Party 3, Union for
Democracy and Liberty 1, Social Liberal Party 1, independents 11;
Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- RND 79, FLN 12, FFS 4, MSP 1 (remaining 48 seats appointed by the
president, party breakdown NA)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Democratic National Rally or RND
[Ahmed OUYAHIA, chairman]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed
April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ and Dr. Abassi MADANI (imprisoned), Rabeh
KEBIR (self-exile in Germany)]; Movement of a Peaceful Society or
MSP [Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman]; National Liberation Front or FLN
[Boualem BENHAMOUDA, secretary general]; Progressive Republican
Party [Khadir DRISS]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said
SAADI, secretary general]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement
[Lahbib ADAMI]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL];
Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general
(self-exile in Switzerland)]; Union for Democracy and Liberty
[Mouley BOUKHALAFA]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN]
note: a party law banning political parties based on religion was
enacted in March 1997
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC,
OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Idriss JAZAIRY
chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Janet A. SANDERSON
embassy: 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers
mailing address: B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers
telephone: [213] (21) 69-11-86, 69-12-55, 69-18-54, 69-38-75
FAX: [213] (21) 69-39-79
Flag description: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and
white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over
the two-color boundary; the crescent, star, and color green are
traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)
Algeria Economy
Economy - overview: The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the
economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP,
and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the fifth-largest
reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second largest gas
exporter; it ranks fourteenth for oil reserves. Algiers' efforts to
reform one of the most centrally planned economies in the Arab world
stalled in 1992 as the country became embroiled in political
turmoil. Algeria's financial and economic indicators improved during
the mid-1990s, in part because of policy reforms supported by the
IMF and debt rescheduling from the Paris Club. Algeria's finances in
2000 benefited from the spike in oil prices and the government's
tight fiscal policy, leading to a large increase in the trade
surplus, the near tripling of foreign exchange reserves, and
reduction in foreign debt. The government continues efforts to
diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment
outside the energy sector, but has had little success in reducing
high unemployment and improving living standards.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $171 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11%
industry: 37%
services: 52% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 23% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 9.1 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: government 29%, agriculture 25%,
construction and public works 15%, industry 11%, other 20% (1996
est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $15.8 billion
expenditures: $16 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.3
billion (2001 est.)
Industries: petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining,
electrical, petrochemical, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 23.215 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.14%
hydro: 0.86%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 21.613 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 307 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 330 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus,
fruits; sheep, cattle
Exports: $19.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum
products 97%
Exports - partners: Italy 22%, US 15%, France 12%, Spain 11%, Brazil
8%, Netherlands 5% (1999)
Imports: $9.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, food and beverages, consumer
goods
Imports - partners: France 30%, Italy 9%, Germany 7%, Spain 6%, US
5%, Turkey 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $25 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $100 million (1999 est.)
Currency: Algerian dinar (DZD)
Currency code: DZD
Exchange rates: Algerian dinars per US dollar - 74,813 (January
2001), 75.260 (2000), 66.574 (1999), 58.739 (1998), 57.707 (1997),
54.749 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Algeria Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.3 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 33,500 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone density in Algeria
is very low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the
number of fixed main lines has been increased in the last few years
to a little more than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these
have subscribers; much of the infrastructure is outdated and
inefficient
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic
satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic
earth stations are planned)
international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy,
France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and
Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and
1 Arabsat (1998)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)
Radios: 7.1 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 3.1 million (1997)
Internet country code: .dz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Algeria Transportation
Railways: total: 4,820 km
standard gauge: 3,664 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 1,156 km 1.055-m gauge (1996)
Highways: total: 104,000 km
paved: 71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,344 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural
gas 2,948 km
Ports and harbors: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys,
Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes
Merchant marine: total: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
896,911 GRT/1,047,991 DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 25, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas
10, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 13, short-sea passenger 4,
specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 135 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 51
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 24
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 84
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Algeria Military
Military branches: National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force,
Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 8,794,622 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
5,383,770 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 388,939
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.87 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.1% (FY99)
Algeria Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: part of southeastern region claimed by
Libya; Algeria supports exiled West Saharan Polisario Front and
rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara
======================================================================
@American Samoa
American Samoa Introduction
Background: Settled as early as 1000 B. C., Samoa was "discovered"
by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries
in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899
treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago.
The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern
islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.
American Samoa Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean,
about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 14 20 S, 170 00 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 199 sq km
land: 199 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 116 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual
rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season from November to April,
dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal
plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Lata 966 m
Natural resources: pumice, pumicite
Land use: arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 70%
other: 15% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons common from December to March
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in
the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines
Geography - note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater
harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough
seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds;
strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean
American Samoa People
Population: 67,084 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.44% (male 13,278; female 12,512)
15-64 years: 56.57% (male 18,784; female 19,163)
65 years and over: 4.99% (male 1,779; female 1,568) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.42% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 24.88 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.32 years
male: 70.89 years
female: 80.02 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: American Samoan(s)
adjective: American Samoan
Ethnic groups: Samoan (Polynesian) 89%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan 4%,
other 5%
Religions: Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,
Protestant and other 30%
Languages: Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian
languages), English
note: most people are bilingual
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 97% (1980 est.)
American Samoa Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa
abbreviation: AS
Dependency status: unincorporated and unorganized territory of the
US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of
the Interior
Government type: NA
Capital: Pago Pago
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are no
first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the
second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western
Independence: none (territory of the US)
National holiday: Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
Constitution: ratified 1966, in effect 1967
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the
US (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY
(since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Tauese P. SUNIA (since 3 January 1997)
and Lieutenant Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 3 January 1997)
cabinet: NA
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same
ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected
on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election
last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)
election results: Tauese P. SUNIA reelected governor; percent of
vote - Tauese P. SUNIA (Democrat) 50.7%, Lealaifuaneva Peter REID
(independent) 47.8%
Legislative branch: bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists
of the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected
by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from
Swains Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18
seats; members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year
terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000
(next to be held NA November 2002); Senate - last held 7 November
2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - NA; note - only independents elected
note: American Samoa elects one delegate to the US House of
Representatives; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held
NA November 2002); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat)
reelected as delegate for a sixth term
Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice and associate justices
are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [leader NA];
Republican Party [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate),
Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US)
Flag description: blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is
based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and
white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying
two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club
American Samoa Economy
Economy - overview: This is a traditional Polynesian economy in
which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic
activity is strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa
conducts the great bulk of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna
processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with
canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add
substantially to American Samoa's economic well-being. Attempts by
the government to develop a larger and broader economy are
restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation,
and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism, a developing sector, has
been held back by the recurring financial difficulties in East Asia.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $500 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 14,000 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: government 33%, tuna canneries 34%,
other 33% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 16% (1993)
Budget: revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US
grants)
expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY96/97)
Industries: tuna canneries (largely dependent on foreign fishing
vessels), handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 130 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 120.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro,
breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products,
livestock
Exports: $500 million (1998)
Exports - commodities: canned tuna 93%
Exports - partners: US 99.6%
Imports: $471 million (1996)
Imports - commodities: materials for canneries 56%, food 8%,
petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6%
Imports - partners: US 62%, Japan 9%, NZ 7%, Australia 11%, Fiji 4%,
other 7%
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: important financial support from the US,
more than $40 million in 1994
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
American Samoa Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 13,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,550 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone
services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 57,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 14,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .as
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
American Samoa Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 350 km
paved: 150 km
unpaved: 200 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Aunu'u (new construction), Auasi, Faleosao, Ofu,
Pago Pago, Ta'u
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
American Samoa Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
American Samoa Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Andorra
Andorra Introduction
Background: Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra has
achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its
tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted
to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.
Andorra Geography
Location: Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain
Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 468 sq km
land: 468 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 120.3 km
border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers
Terrain: rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m
highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m
Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead
Land use: arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 45%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 16% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: snowslides, avalanches
Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain
meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater
treatment and solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements: party to: Hazardous Wastes
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked
Andorra People
Population: 67,627 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.29% (male 5,425; female 4,917)
15-64 years: 72.06% (male 25,654; female 23,078)
65 years and over: 12.65% (male 4,299; female 4,254) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.17% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 10.29 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 83.47 years
male: 80.57 years
female: 86.57 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Andorran(s)
adjective: Andorran
Ethnic groups: Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%,
other 6% (1998)
Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant)
Languages: Catalan (official), French, Castilian
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Andorra Government
Country name: conventional long form: Principality of Andorra
conventional short form: Andorra
local long form: Principat d'Andorra
local short form: Andorra
Government type: parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that
retains as its heads of state a coprincipality; the two princes are
the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are
represented locally by coprinces' representatives
Capital: Andorra la Vella
Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies, singular -
parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana,
Escaldes-Engordany, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria
Independence: 1278 (was formed under the joint suzerainty of France
and Spain)
National holiday: Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278)
Constitution: Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in
1991; approved by referendum 14 March 1993; came into force 4 May
1993
Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC
(since 17 May 1995), represented by Frederic de SAINT-SERNIN (since
NA); Spanish Coprince Episcopal Monseigneur Joan MARTI Alanis (since
31 January 1971), represented by Nemesi MARQUES OSTE (since NA)
head of government: Executive Council President Marc FORNE Molne
(since 21 December 1994)
cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive
Council president
elections: Executive Council president elected by the General
Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year
term; election last held 16 February 1997 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Marc FORNE Molne elected executive council
president; percent of General Council vote - 64%
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys or
Consell General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by
direct popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14
to represent each of the 7 parishes; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 February 1997 (next to be held NA February
2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - UL 57%, AND 21%, IDN
7%, ND 7%, other 8%; seats by party - UL 16, AND 6, ND 2, IDN 2, UPO
2
Judicial branch: Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal
of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of
Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council
of Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or
Ministeri Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Union or UL [Marc Forne
MOLNE] (renamed Liberal Party of Andorra or PLA); National
Democratic Group or AND [Ladislau BARO SOLA]; National Democratic
Initiative or IDN [Vincenc MATEU Zamora]; New Democracy or ND [Jaume
BARTOMEU Cassany]; Union of the People of Ordino (Unio Parroquial
d'Ordino) or UPO [Simo DURO Coma]
note: there are two other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: CCC, CE, ECE, ICAO, ICRM,
IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OSCE, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064
FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to
Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate
General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina
Elisenda, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: (3493) 280-2227;
FAX: (3493) 205-7705
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the
yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar
to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat
of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a
national emblem
Andorra Economy
Economy - overview: Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny,
well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9
million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free
status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative
advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France
and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of
goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its "tax haven"
status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural
production is limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food
has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep
raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars,
and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is
treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs)
and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.62% (1998)
Labor force: 30,787 salaried employees (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry 21%, services
78% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget: revenues: $385 million
expenditures: $342 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)
Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber,
tobacco, banking
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh
note: most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra
generates a small amount of hydropower
Agriculture - products: small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat,
barley, oats, vegetables; sheep
Exports: $58 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: tobacco products, furniture
Exports - partners: France 34%, Spain 58% (1998)
Imports: $1.077 billion (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, food, electricity
Imports - partners: Spain 48%, France 35%, US 2.3% (1998)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: none
Currency: French franc (FRF); Spanish peseta (ESP); euro (EUR)
Currency code: FRF; ESP; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996); Spanish pesetas per US dollar - 149.40
(1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Andorra Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 32,946 (December 1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 14,117 (December 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections
between exchanges
international: landline circuits to France and Spain
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 16,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: 27,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ad
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
Andorra Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 269 km
paved: 198 km
unpaved: 71 km (1994 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: none (2000 est.)
Andorra Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
Andorra Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Angola
Angola Introduction
Background: Civil war has been the norm in Angola since independence
from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government
and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)
provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the
government and armed forces. A national unity government was
installed in April of 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late
1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Up to 1.5
million lives may have been lost in fighting over the past quarter
century.
Angola Geography
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,
between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 18 30 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,246,700 sq km
land: 1,246,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 5,198 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of
which 220 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province),
Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km
Coastline: 1,600 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has
cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to
April)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m
Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates,
copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium
Land use: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 23%
forests and woodland: 43%
other: 32% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on
the plateau
Environment - current issues: overuse of pastures and subsequent
soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification;
deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both
international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as
fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing
to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate
supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: Cabinda is separated from rest of country by the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Angola People
Population: 10,366,031 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.31% (male 2,266,870; female 2,222,262)
15-64 years: 53.98% (male 2,847,089; female 2,748,091)
65 years and over: 2.71% (male 127,798; female 153,921) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.15% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 46.54 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 24.68 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 193.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 38.59 years
male: 37.36 years
female: 39.87 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.48 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.78% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 160,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 15,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Angolan(s)
adjective: Angolan
Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico
(mixed European and Native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant
15% (1998 est.)
Languages: Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42%
male: 56%
female: 28% (1998 est.)
Angola Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Angola
conventional short form: Angola
local long form: Republica de Angola
local short form: Angola
former: People's Republic of Angola
Government type: transitional government, nominally a multiparty
democracy with a strong presidential system
Capital: Luanda
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza
Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda
Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire
Independence: 11 November 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 11 November (1975)
Constitution: 11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August
1980, 6 March 1991, and 26 August 1992
Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary
law; recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and
increased use of free markets
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS
(since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21
September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in 1979)
without opposition under a one-party system and stood for reelection
in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September 1992 (next to
be held NA)
election results: DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a
run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held and SAVIMBI's
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)
repudiated the results of the first election; the civil war resumed
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia
Nacional (220 seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 54%, UNITA 34%,
others 12%; seats by party - MPLA 129, UNITA 70, PRS 6, FNLA 5, PLD
3, others 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal da Relacao (judges are
appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party or PLD
[Analia de Victoria PEREIRA]; National Front for the Liberation of
Angola or FNLA [disputed leadership: Lucas NGONDA, Holden ROBERTO];
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola or UNITA [Jonas
SAVIMBI], largest opposition party has engaged in years of armed
resistance; Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or MPLA
[Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS] ruling party in power since 1975; Social
Renewal Party or PRS [disputed leadership: Eduardo KUANGANA, Antonio
MUACHICUNGO]; UNITA-Renovada [Eugenio NGOLO "Manuvakola", leader]
note: about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992
elections but won few seats and have little influence in the
National Assembly
Political pressure groups and leaders: Front for the Liberation of
the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita Henriques TIAGO; Antonio
Bento BEMBE]
note: FLEC is waging a small-scale, highly factionalized, armed
struggle for the independence of Cabinda Province
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC,
ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAS
(observer), OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKIDI
chancery: 1615 M Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156
FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Joseph G. SULLIVAN
embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumeddienne, Luanda
mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6484, Luanda;
pouch: American Embassy Luanda, Department of State, Washington, DC
20521-2550
telephone: [244] (2) 345-481, 346-418
FAX: [244] (2) 346-924
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black
with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star
within half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a
hammer and sickle)
Angola Economy
Economy - overview: Angola is an economy in disarray because of a
quarter century of nearly continuous warfare. Despite its abundant
natural resources, output per capita is among the world's lowest.
Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 85% of the
population. Oil production and the supporting activities are vital
to the economy, contributing about 45% to GDP and 90% of exports.
Violence continues, millions of land mines remain, and many farmers
are reluctant to return to their fields. As a result, much of the
country's food must still be imported. To fully take advantage of
its rich resources - gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic
fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need to end its
conflict and continue reforming government policies. Despite the
increase in the pace of civil warfare in late 1998, the economy grew
by an estimated 5% in 2000. The government introduced new currency
denominations in 1999, including 1 and 5 kwanza notes. Internal
strife discourages investment outside of the petroleum sector, which
is producing roughly 800,000 barrels of oil per day. Angola has
entered into a Staff Monitored Program (SMP) with the IMF. Continued
growth depends on sharp cuts in inflation, further economic reform,
and a lessening of fighting.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7%
industry: 60%
services: 33% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 325% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 5 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 85%, industry and services
15% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: extensive unemployment and underemployment
affecting more than half the population (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $928 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $963
million (1992 est.)
Industries: petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar,
bauxite, uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish
processing; food processing; brewing; tobacco products; sugar;
textiles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.475 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 32.2%
hydro: 67.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.372 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn,
cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock;
forest products; fish
Exports: $7.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil 90%, diamonds, refined petroleum
products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton
Exports - partners: US 54%, South Korea 14%, Benelux 11%, China 7%,
Taiwan 6% (1999)
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles
and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods
Imports - partners: South Korea 16%, Portugal 15%, US 13%, South
Africa 10%, France 8% (1999)
Debt - external: $10.8 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $493.1 million (1995)
Currency: kwanza (AOA)
Currency code: AOA
Exchange rates: kwanza per US dollar - 17,910,800 (January 2001),
10,041,000 (2000), 2,790,706 (1999), 392,824 (1998), 229,040 (1997),
128,029 (1996); note - in December 1999 the kwanza was revalued with
six zeroes dropped off the old value
Fiscal year: calendar year
Angola Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 62,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 7,052 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone service limited
mostly to government and business use; HF radiotelephone used
extensively for military links
domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and
tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 34, FM 7, shortwave 9 (1999)
Radios: 630,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (1999)
Televisions: 150,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ao
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 12,000 (1999)
Angola Transportation
Railways: total: 2,771 km (inland, much of the track is unusable
because of land mines still in place from the civil war)
narrow gauge: 2,648 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 76,626 km
paved: 19,156 km
unpaved: 57,470 km (1997)
Waterways: 1,295 km
Pipelines: crude oil 179 km
Ports and harbors: Ambriz, Cabinda, Lobito, Luanda, Malongo,
Mocamedes, Namibe, Porto Amboim, Soyo
Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 39,305
GRT/63,067 DWT
ships by type: cargo 8, petroleum tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 247 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 31
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 216
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 30
914 to 1,523 m: 96
under 914 m: 83 (2000 est.)
Angola Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, National
Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,480,016 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,246,224 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 103,807
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.2 billion (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 22% (1999)
Angola Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: increasingly used as a transshipment point for
cocaine and heroin destined for Western Europe and other African
states
======================================================================
@Anguilla
Anguilla Introduction
Background: Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650,
Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th
century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants -
was incorporated into a single British dependency along with Saint
Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two
years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this
arrangement was formally recognized in 1980 with Anguilla becoming a
separate British dependency.
Anguilla Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 63 10 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 91 sq km
land: 91 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about half the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 61 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds
Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m
Natural resources: salt, fish, lobster
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some
commercial salt ponds)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July
to October)
Environment - current issues: supplies of potable water sometimes
cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution
system
Anguilla People
Population: 12,132 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.55% (male 1,574; female 1,526)
15-64 years: 67.47% (male 4,200; female 3,985)
65 years and over: 6.98% (male 376; female 471) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.68% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 15.17 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.61 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 17.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.31 years
male: 73.41 years
female: 79.29 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Anguillan(s)
adjective: Anguillan
Ethnic groups: black
Religions: Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%,
Baptist 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, other 12%
Languages: English (official)
Literacy: definition: age 12 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 95%
female: 95% (1984 est.)
Anguilla Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Anguilla
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: The Valley
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Anguilla Day, 30 May
Constitution: Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended
1990
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952); represented by Governor Peter JOHNSTON (since NA
February 2000)
head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March
2000)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the
elected members of the House of Assembly
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the
members of the House of Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7
elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members and 2
appointed; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UF 4, AUM 2, independent 1
Judicial branch: High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean
Supreme Court)
Political parties and leaders: Anguilla United Movement or AUM
[Hubert HUGHES]; The United Front or UF [Osbourne FLEMMING, Victor
BANKS], a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the
Anguilla National Alliance or ANA
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB,
Interpol (subbureau), OECS (associate), ECLAC (associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the
outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange
dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background
with blue wavy water below
Anguilla Economy
Economy - overview: Anguilla has few natural resources, and the
economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster
fishing, and remittances from emigrants. The economy, and especially
the tourism sector, suffered a setback in late 1995 due to the
effects of Hurricane Luis in September but recovered in 1996.
Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the
growth of the construction sector, has contributed to economic
growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into
developing the offshore financial sector. A comprehensive package of
financial services legislation was enacted in late 1994. In the
medium term, prospects for the economy will depend on the tourism
sector and, therefore, on continuing income growth in the
industrialized nations as well as favorable weather conditions.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $96 million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,200 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 18%
services: 78% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 4,400 (1992)
Labor force - by occupation: commerce 36%, services 29%,
construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, manufacturing
3%, agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%
Unemployment rate: 7% (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $20.4 million
expenditures: $23.3 million, including capital expenditures of $3.8
million (1997 est.)
Industries: tourism, boat building, offshore financial services
Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: small quantities of tobacco, vegetables;
cattle raising
Exports: $4.5 million (1998)
Exports - commodities: lobster, fish, livestock, salt
Exports - partners: NA
Imports: $57.6 million (1998)
Imports - commodities: NA
Imports - partners: NA
Debt - external: $8.8 million (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $3.5 million (1995)
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed
rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Anguilla Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system
international: microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin
(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 3,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ai
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Anguilla Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 279 km
paved: 253 km
unpaved: 26 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Blowing Point, Road Bay
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Anguilla Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Anguilla Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics
destined for the US and Europe
======================================================================
@Antarctica
Antarctica Introduction
Background: Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was
not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American
commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions
began exploring the Peninsula region and areas south of the
Antarctic Circle. Not until 1838 was it established that Antarctica
was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Various
"firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century, including: 1902,
first balloon flight (by British explorer Robert Falcon SCOTT);
1912, first to the South Pole (five Norwegian explorers under Roald
AMUNDSEN); 1928, first fixed-wing aircraft flight (by Australian
adventurer/explorer Sir Hubert WILKINS); 1929, first flight over the
South Pole (by Americans Richard BYRD and Bernt BALCHEN); and 1935,
first transantarctic flight (American Lincoln ELLSWORTH). Following
World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the
continent. A number of countries have set up year-round research
stations on Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but no
other country recognizes these claims. In order to form a legal
framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an
Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives
recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it
entered into force in 1961.
Antarctica Geography
Location: continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle
Geographic coordinates: 90 00 S, 0 00 E
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area: total: 14 million sq km
land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km
ice-covered) (est.)
note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North
America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the
subcontinent of Europe
Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: 0 km
note: see entry on International disputes
Coastline: 17,968 km
Maritime claims: none; twenty of 27 Antarctic consultative nations
have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the
US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims
of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry
Climate: severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and
distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West
Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has
the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January
along the coast and average slightly below freezing
Terrain: about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock,
with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain
ranges up to 5,140 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of
southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area,
and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves
along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves
constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m
highest point: Vinson Massif 5,140 m
note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the
Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet
discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under sea water
Natural resources: iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel,
platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been
found in small uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited;
krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward
from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the
plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise
along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of
West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large
icebergs may calve from ice shelf
Environment - current issues: in 1998, NASA satellite data showed
that the antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27
million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased
ultraviolet light coming through the hole damages the DNA of
icefish, an antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion
earlier was shown to harm one-celled antarctic marine plants
Geography - note: the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and
driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the
surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an
equivalent period; mostly uninhabitable
Antarctica People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants, but there are seasonally
staffed research stations
note: approximately 29 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic
Treaty, send personnel to perform seasonal (summer) and year-round
research on the continent and in its surrounding oceans; the
population of persons doing and supporting science on the continent
and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the
region covered by the Antarctic Treaty) varies from approximately
4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000
personnel including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard
research are present in the waters of the treaty region; Summer
(January) population - 3,687 total; Argentina 302, Australia 201,
Belgium 13, Brazil 80, Bulgaria 16, Chile 352, China 70, Finland 11,
France 100, Germany 51, India 60, Italy 106, Japan 136, South Korea
14, Netherlands 10, NZ 60, Norway 40, Peru 28, Poland 70, Russia
254, South Africa 80, Spain 43, Sweden 20, UK 192, US 1,378
(1998-99); Winter (July) population - 964 total; Argentina 165,
Australia 75, Brazil 12, Chile 129, China 33, France 33, Germany 9,
India 25, Japan 40, South Korea 14, NZ 10, Poland 20, Russia 102,
South Africa 10, UK 39, US 248 (1998-99); year-round stations - 42
total; Argentina 6, Australia 4, Brazil 1, Chile 4, China 2, Finland
1, France 1, Germany 1, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ
1, Norway 1, Poland 1, Russia 6, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Ukraine 1,
UK 2, US 3, Uruguay 1 (1998-99); Summer-only stations - 32 total;
Argentina 3, Australia 4, Bulgaria 1, Chile 7, Germany 1, India 1,
Japan 3, NZ 1, Peru 1, Russia 3, Sweden 2, UK 5 (1998-99); in
addition, during the austral summer some nations have numerous
occupied locations such as tent camps, summer-long temporary
facilities, and mobile traverses in support of research (July 2001
est.)
Antarctica Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antarctica
Government type: Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty,
signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961,
establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica.
The 23rd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Peru in
May 1999. At the end of 2000, there were 44 treaty member nations:
27 consultative and 17 non-consultative. Consultative (voting)
members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica
as national territory (some claims overlap) and 20 nonclaimant
nations. The US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims.
The US does not recognize the claims of others. Antarctica is
administered through meetings of the consultative member nations.
Decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member
nations (within their areas) in accordance with their own national
laws. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was
voted to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates
the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations
are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and
the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil
(1983), Bulgaria (1998) China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland
(1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South
Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977),
Russia, South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985),
and the US. Non-consultative (nonvoting) members, with year of
accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988),
Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1993), Denmark (1965),
Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987),
Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1993),
Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1995), Ukraine (1992), and Venezuela
(1999). Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only;
military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but
military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research
or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific
investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free
exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and
other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize,
dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be
asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear
explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes
under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00
minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 -
treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial
observation, to any area and may inspect all stations,
installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and
of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 -
allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own
states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among
member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage
activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the
treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the
parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 -
deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among
involved nations. Other agreements - some 200 recommendations
adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments
include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were
later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for
the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral
resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was
signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this
agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment
through five specific annexes: 1) marine pollution, 2) fauna and
flora, 3) environmental impact assessments, 4) waste management, and
5) protected area management; it prohibits all activities relating
to mineral resources except scientific research.
Legal system: Antarctica is administered through meetings of the
consultative member nations. Decisions from these meetings are
carried out by these member nations (within their areas) in
accordance with their own national laws. US law, including certain
criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may
apply extra-territorially. Some US laws directly apply to
Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C.
section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the
following activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute:
the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of
nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected
areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation
into the US of certain items from Antarctica. Violation of the
Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in
fines and one year in prison. The National Science Foundation and
Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities. Public Law
95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in
1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in
advance, the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs, Room 5801,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans
to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. For more
information, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs,
National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone:
(703) 292-8030, or see their website at www.nsf.gov.
Antarctica Economy
Economy - overview: Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based
abroad, account for the limited economic activity. Antarctic
fisheries in 1998-99 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 119,898
metric tons. Unregulated fishing landed five to six times more than
the regulated fishery, and allegedly illegal fishing in antarctic
waters in 1998 resulted in the seizure (by France and Australia) of
at least eight fishing ships. Companies interested in commercial
fishing activities in Antarctica have put forward proposals. The
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
determines the recommended catch limits for marine species. A total
of 13,193 tourists visited in the 1999-2000 summer, up from the
10,013 who visited the previous year. Nearly all of them were
passengers on 24 commercial (nongovernmental) ships and several
yachts that made 143 trips during the summer. Most tourist trips
lasted approximately two weeks.
Antarctica Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 0
note: information for US bases only (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 2, shortwave 1
note: information for US bases only (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (the US Navy Antarctic Support
Group operates a cable system with six channels for the American
Forces Antarctic Network-McMurdo)
note: information for US bases only (2000)
Televisions: several hundred at McMurdo Sound
note: information for US bases only (2001)
Internet country code: .aq
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Antarctica Transportation
Ports and harbors: there are no developed ports and harbors in
Antarctica; most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and
supplies are transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges,
and helicopters; a few stations have a basic wharf facility US
coastal stations include McMurdo (77 51 S, 166 40 E), Palmer (64 43
S, 64 03 W); government use only except by permit (see Permit Office
under "Legal System"); offshore anchorage is sparse and intermittent
Airports: 19
note: 27 stations, operated by 16 national governments party to the
Antarctic Treaty, have aircraft landing facilities for either
helicopters and/or fixed-wing aircraft; commercial enterprises
operate two additional aircraft landing facilities; helicopter pads
are available at 27 stations; runways at 15 locations are gravel,
sea-ice, blue-ice, or compacted snow suitable for landing wheeled,
fixed-wing aircraft; of these, 1 is greater than 3 km in length, 6
are between 2 km and 3 km in length, 3 are between 1 km and 2 km in
length, 3 are less than 1 km in length, and 2 are of unknown length;
snow surface skiways, limited to use by ski-equipped, fixed-wing
aircraft, are available at another 15 locations; of these, 4 are
greater than 3 km in length, 3 are between 2 km and 3 km in length,
2 are between 1 km and 2 km in length, 2 are less than 1 km in
length, and 4 are of unknown length; aircraft landing facilities
generally subject to severe restrictions and limitations resulting
from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; aircraft landing
facilities do not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from the
respective governmental or nongovernmental operating organization
required for landing (2001 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 19
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 27 stations have helicopter landing facilities (helipads)
(2001 est.)
Antarctica Military
Military - note: the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a
military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and
fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the
testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military
personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other
peaceful purposes
Antarctica Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Antarctic Treaty freezes claims (see
Antarctic Treaty Summary in Government type entry); sections (some
overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New
Zealand, Norway, and UK; the US and most other nations do not
recognize the territorial claims of other nations and have made no
claims themselves (the US and Russia reserve the right to do so); no
claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150
degrees west
======================================================================
@Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda Introduction
Background: The islands of Antigua and Barbuda became an independent
state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. Some 3,000
refugees fleeing a volcanic eruption on nearby Montserrat have
settled in Antigua and Barbuda since 1995.
Antigua and Barbuda Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 17 03 N, 61 48 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 442 sq km (Antigua 281 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 442 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Redonda
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 153 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some
higher volcanic areas
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land use: arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 62% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October);
periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: water management - a major concern
because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further
hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production,
causing rainfall to run off quickly
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Antigua and Barbuda People
Population: 66,970 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.97% (male 9,527; female 9,203)
15-64 years: 67.15% (male 22,450; female 22,519)
65 years and over: 4.88% (male 1,360; female 1,911) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.74% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 19.5 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 22.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.74 years
male: 68.45 years
female: 73.14 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.31 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Ethnic groups: black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Religions: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant, some Roman
Catholic
Languages: English (official), local dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more
years of schooling
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88% (1960 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Government type: constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament
Capital: Saint John's
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*,
Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint
Peter, Saint Philip
Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Constitution: 1 November 1981
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE
(since NA 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8
March 1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on
the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen
by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; prime minister
appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of
Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional
representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 9 March 1999 (next
to be held NA March 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint
Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands
and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction)
Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester
Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK];
United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of
three opposition parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP,
Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor
Movement or PLM)
Political pressure groups and leaders: Antigua Trades and Labor
Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or
PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM
(observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Lionel Alexander HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211
FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general: Miami
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US
Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda
Flag description: red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on
the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal
bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising
sun in the black band
Antigua and Barbuda Economy
Economy - overview: Tourism continues to be the dominant activity in
the economy accounting directly or indirectly for more than half of
GDP. The budding offshore financial sector has been seriously hurt
by financial sanctions imposed by the US and UK as a result of the
loosening of its money-laundering controls. The government has made
efforts to comply with international demands in order to get the
sanctions lifted. Antigua and Barbuda was listed as a tax haven by
the OECD in 2000. The dual island nation's agricultural production
is mainly directed to the domestic market; the sector is constrained
by the limited water supply and labor shortages that reflect the
pull of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing
comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being
bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for
economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income
growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which
accounts for about one-third of all tourist arrivals.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $533 million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.6% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,200 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 12.5%
services: 83.5% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 30,000
Labor force - by occupation: commerce and services 82%, agriculture
11%, industry 7% (1983)
Unemployment rate: 7% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $122.6 million
expenditures: $141.2 million, including capital expenditures of
$17.3 million (1997 est.)
Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing,
alcohol, household appliances)
Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 95 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 88.4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas,
coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Exports: $38 million (1998)
Exports - commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%,
machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%,
other 8%
Exports - partners: OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and
Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
Imports: $330 million (1998)
Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and
transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
Imports - partners: US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%
Debt - external: $357 million (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $2.3 million (1995)
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed
rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Antigua and Barbuda Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 28,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,300 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba
(Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 36,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: 31,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ag
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 8,000 (2000)
Antigua and Barbuda Transportation
Railways: total: 77 km
narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost
exclusively for handling sugarcane)
Highways: total: 1,165 km
paved: 384 km
unpaved: 781 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Saint John's
Merchant marine: total: 681 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
4,070,390 GRT/5,289,904 DWT
ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 424, chemical tanker 10, combination
bulk 4, container 176, liquefied gas 4, multi-functional large-load
carrier 6, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll
off 29
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Cyprus 2, Germany 4, Slovenia 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda Military
Military branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal
Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Antigua and Barbuda Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics
bound for the US and Europe; more significant as a
drug-money-laundering center
======================================================================
@Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean Introduction Top of Page
Background: The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five
oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and
the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US
and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two
important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river,
and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean.
Arctic Ocean Geography
Location: body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America,
mostly north of the Arctic Circle
Geographic coordinates: 90 00 N, 0 00 E
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 14.056 million sq km
note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea,
East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara
Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
Coastline: 45,389 km
Climate: polar climate characterized by persistent cold and
relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized
by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and
clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and
foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow
Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar
icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure
ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the
Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the
New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland
and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the
summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends
to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50%
continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the
remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges
(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits,
polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals
(seals and whales)
Natural hazards: ice islands occasionally break away from northern
Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland
and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually
ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure
icing from October to May
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include
walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to
recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack
Geography - note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea
(northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait);
strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine
link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating
research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover
in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean;
snow cover lasts about 10 months
Arctic Ocean Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation
of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and
seals.
Arctic Ocean Transportation
Ports and harbors: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe
Bay (US)
Transportation - note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land
routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route
(Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways
Arctic Ocean Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states)
======================================================================
@Argentina
Argentina Introduction
Background: Following independence from Spain in 1816, Argentina
experienced periods of internal political conflict between
conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military
factions. After World War II, a long period of Peronist dictatorship
was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy
returned in 1983, and numerous elections since then have underscored
Argentina's progress in democratic consolidation.
Argentina Geography
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic
Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S, 64 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 2,766,890 sq km
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water: 30,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the
US
Land boundaries: total: 9,665 km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km,
Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Coastline: 4,989 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in
southwest
Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling
plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Salinas Chicas -40 m (located on
Peninsula Valdes)
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m
Natural resources: fertile plains of the Pampas, lead, zinc, tin,
copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 52%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 17,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the
Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that
can strike the Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
Environment - current issues: environmental problems (urban and
rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as soil
degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution
note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse
gas targets
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine
Life Conservation
Geography - note: second-largest country in South America (after
Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between South
Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle
Channel, Drake Passage)
Argentina People
Population: 37,384,816 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.54% (male 5,077,593; female 4,842,811)
15-64 years: 63.04% (male 11,795,282; female 11,773,855)
65 years and over: 10.42% (male 1,609,672; female 2,285,603) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.15% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 18.41 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.58 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.26 years
male: 71.88 years
female: 78.82 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.69% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,800 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine
Ethnic groups: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo,
Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing),
Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.2%
male: 96.2%
female: 96.2% (1995 est.)
Argentina Government
Country name: conventional long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina
Government type: republic
Capital: Buenos Aires
Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia), and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires;
Buenos Aires Capital Federal*; Catamarca; Chaco; Chubut; Cordoba;
Corrientes; Entre Rios; Formosa; Jujuy; La Pampa; La Rioja; Mendoza;
Misiones; Neuquen; Rio Negro; Salta; San Juan; San Luis; Santa Cruz;
Santa Fe; Santiago del Estero; Tierra del Fuego, Antartica e Islas
del Atlantico Sur; Tucuman
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica
Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Constitution: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994
Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and mandatory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Fernando DE LA RUA
(since 10 December 1999); Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ
resigned 6 October 2000 and a replacement has not yet been named;
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Fernando DE LA RUA (since 10 December
1999); Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October
2000 and a replacement has not yet been named; note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 24 October
1999 (next to be held NA October 2003)
election results: Fernando DE LA RUA elected president; percent of
vote - 48.5%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of the Senate (72 seats; formerly, three members appointed
by each of the provincial legislatures; presently transitioning to
one-third of the members being elected every two years to six-year
terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the
members elected every two years to four-year terms)
elections: Senate - transition phase will begin in the 2001
elections when all seats will be fully contested; winners will
randomly draw to determine whether they will serve a two-year,
four-year, or full six-year term, beginning a rotating cycle
renovating one-third of the body every two years; Chamber of
Deputies - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October
2001)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%;
seats by bloc or party - Peronist 40, UCR 20, Frepaso 1, other 11;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats
by bloc or party - Alliance 124 (UCR 85, Frepaso 36, others 3),
Peronist 101, AR 12, other 20
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme
Court judges are appointed by the president with approval by the
Senate)
Political parties and leaders: Action for the Republic or AR
[Domingo CAVALLO]; Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a
four-party coalition) [Carlos ALVAREZ]; Justicialist Party or PJ
[Carlos Saul MENEM] (Peronist umbrella political organization);
Radical Civic Union or UCR [Raul ALFONSIN]; several provincial
parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Argentine Association of
Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union
(manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large
landowners' association); business organizations; General
Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor
organization); Peronist-dominated labor movement; Roman Catholic
Church; students
International organization participation: AfDB, Australia Group,
BCIE, BIS, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES,
LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MTCR, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,
RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Guillermo Enrique GONZALEZ
chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400
FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James D. WALSH
embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, 1425 Buenos Aires
mailing address: international mail: use street address; APO
address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034
telephone: [54] (11) 4777-4533/4534
FAX: [54] (11) 4511-4997
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top),
white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant
yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May
Argentina Economy
Economy - overview: Argentina benefits from rich natural resources,
a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural
sector, and a diversified industrial base. However, when President
Carlos MENEM took office in 1989, the country had piled up huge
external debts, inflation had reached 200% per month, and output was
plummeting. To combat the economic crisis, the government embarked
on a path of trade liberalization, deregulation, and privatization.
In 1991, it implemented radical monetary reforms which pegged the
peso to the US dollar and limited the growth in the monetary base by
law to the growth in reserves. Inflation fell sharply in subsequent
years. In 1995, the Mexican peso crisis produced capital flight, the
loss of banking system deposits, and a severe, but short-lived,
recession; a series of reforms to bolster the domestic banking
system followed. Real GDP growth recovered strongly, reaching 8% in
1997. In 1998, international financial turmoil caused by Russia's
problems and increasing investor anxiety over Brazil produced the
highest domestic interest rates in more than three years, halving
the growth rate of the economy. Conditions worsened in 1999 with GDP
falling by 3%. President Fernando DE LA RUA, who took office in
December 1999, sponsored tax increases and spending cuts to reduce
the deficit, which had ballooned to 2.5% of GDP in 1999. Growth in
2000 was a disappointing 0.8%, as both domestic and foreign
investors remained skeptical of the government's ability to pay
debts and maintain its fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. One
bright spot at the start of 2001 was the IMF's offer of $13.7
billion in support.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $476 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6%
industry: 32%
services: 62% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 37% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.9% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 15 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 15% (December 2000)
Budget: revenues: $44 billion
expenditures: $48 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,
textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 77.087 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60.3%
hydro: 30.7%
nuclear: 8.75%
other: 0.25% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 77.111 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 1.08 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 6.5 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes,
corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock
Exports: $26.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed,
motor vehicles
Exports - partners: Brazil 24%, EU 21%, US 11% (1999 est.)
Imports: $25.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles,
chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics
Imports - partners: EU 28%, US 22%, Brazil 21% (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $154 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: IMF offer of $13.7 billion (January 2001)
Currency: Argentine peso (ARS)
Currency code: ARS
Exchange rates: Argentine pesos per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate
pegged to the US dollar)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Argentina Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 7.5 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3 million (December 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: by opening the
telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with
the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998", Argentina
encouraged the growth of modern telecommunication technology;
fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major
cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability
of telephone service is being improved; however, telephone density
is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally
available will take some time
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic
satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network;
more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone
use is rapidly expanding
international: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international
gateways near Buenos Aires (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations),
FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6
(1998)
Radios: 24.3 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 7.95 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ar
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 33 (2000)
Internet users: 900,000 (2000)
Argentina Transportation
Railways: total: 33,744 km (167 km electrified)
broad gauge: 20,594 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified)
standard gauge: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 10,154 km 1.000-m gauge; 257 km 0.750-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 215,434 km
paved: 63,553 km (including 734 km of expressways)
unpaved: 151,881 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 10,950 km
Pipelines: crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural
gas 9,918 km
Ports and harbors: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia,
Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio
Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia
Merchant marine: total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
185,355 GRT/281,475 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9, petroleum tanker 11, railcar carrier 1,
refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 2
(2000 est.)
Airports: 1,359 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 143
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 57
914 to 1,523 m: 48
under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,216
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 56
914 to 1,523 m: 601
under 914 m: 555 (2000 est.)
Argentina Military
Military branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic
(includes Naval Aviation, Marines, and Coast Guard), Argentine Air
Force, National Gendarmerie, National Aeronautical Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 9,404,434 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
7,625,425 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 335,085
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.3 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (FY99)
Argentina Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims UK-administered Falkland Islands
(Islas Malvinas); claims UK-administered South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps
British and Chilean claims
Illicit drugs: use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for
Europe and the US; increasing use as a money-laundering center;
domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing
======================================================================
@Armenia
Armenia Introduction
Background: An Orthodox Christian country, Armenia was incorporated
into Russia in 1828 and the USSR in 1920. Armenian leaders remain
preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated exclave, assigned
to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan
began fighting over the exclave in 1988; the struggle escalated
after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in
1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held
not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of
Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by
their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful
resolution.
Armenia Geography
Location: Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 45 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 29,800 sq km
land: 28,400 sq km
water: 1,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: highland continental, hot summers, cold winters
Terrain: Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast
flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Aragats Lerr 4,095 m
Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc,
alumina
Land use: arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 15%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,870 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Environment - current issues: soil pollution from toxic chemicals
such as DDT; energy blockade, the result of conflict with
Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for
firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the
draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a
source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of
Metsamor nuclear power plant without adequate (IAEA-recommended)
safety and backup systems
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants
Geography - note: landlocked
Armenia People
Population: 3,336,100 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.23% (male 394,194; female 380,911)
15-64 years: 67.04% (male 1,094,646; female 1,141,760)
65 years and over: 9.73% (male 135,477; female 189,112) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.21% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.47 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.74 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 41.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.49 years
male: 62.12 years
female: 71.08 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Armenian(s)
adjective: Armenian
Ethnic groups: Armenian 93%, Azeri 3%, Russian 2%, other (mostly
Yezidi Kurds) 2% (1989)
note: as of the end of 1993, virtually all Azeris had emigrated
from Armenia
Religions: Armenian Orthodox 94%
Languages: Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1989 est.)
Armenia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Armenia
conventional short form: Armenia
local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
local short form: Hayastan
former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Yerevan
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (marzer, singular - marz) and
1 city* (k'aghak'ner, singular - k'aghak'); Aragatsotn, Ararat,
Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush,
Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan*
Independence: 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1991)
Constitution: adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since
30 March 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Andranik MARKARYAN (since 12 May
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
special election last held 30 March 1998 (next to be held NA March
2003); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Robert KOCHARIAN elected president; percent of
vote - Robert KOCHARIAN 59.5%, Karen DEMIRCHYAN 40.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or
Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 May 1999 (next to be held in the spring of
2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
unity bloc 61 (Republican Party 41, People's Party of Armenia 20),
Stability Group (independent Armenian deputies who have formed a
bloc) 21, ACP 10, ARF (Dashnak) 8, Law and Unity Party 7, NDU 6,
Law-Governed Party 6, independents 10, unfilled 2; note - seats by
party change frequently
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Armenia Party [Myasnik ALKHASYAN];
Armenian Communist Party or ACP [Vladimir DARBINYAN]; Armenian
Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARYAN];
Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Azat ARSHAKYN, chairman];
Democratic Liberal Party [Ramkavar AZATAKAN, chairman]; Free
Armenian's Mission [Ruben MNATSANIAN, chairman]; Law and Unity Party
[Artashes GEGAMIAN, chairman]; Law-Governed Party [Artur
BAGDASARIAN, chairman]; Mission Party [Artush PAPOIAN, chairman];
National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National State
Party [Samvel SHAGINIAN]; Pan-Armenian National Movement or PANM
[Vano SIRADEGHYAN]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN];
Republican Party or RPA [Andranik MARKARYAN]; Shamiram Women's
Movement or SWM [Gayane SARUKHYAN]; Social Democratic (Hnchakian)
Party [Ernst SOGOMONYAN]; Stability Group [Vartan AYVAZIAN,
chairman]; Union of National Self-Determination or NSDU [Paruir
HAIRIKIAN, chairman]; Unity Bloc [Stepan DEMIRCHIAN and Andranik
MARKARYAN] (a coalition of the Republican Party and People's Party
of Armenia)
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Arman KIRAKOSIAN
chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael C. LEMMON
embassy: 18 Marshal Bagramian Avenue, Yerevan
mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7020
telephone: [374] (2) 52-16-11
FAX: [374] (2) 151-550
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue,
and orange
Armenia Economy
Economy - overview: Under the old Soviet central planning system,
Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine
tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in
exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the
USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale
agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the
Soviet era. The agricultural sector has long-term needs for more
investment and updated technology. The privatization of industry has
been at a slower pace, but has been given renewed emphasis by the
current administration. Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral
deposits (gold, bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict with
Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of
Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic
system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic
decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian
Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic program
that has resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2000. Armenia
also managed to slash inflation and to privatize most small- and
medium-sized enterprises. The chronic energy shortages Armenia
suffered in recent years have been largely offset by the energy
supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia's
severe trade imbalance, importing three times its exports, has been
offset somewhat by international aid, domestic restructuring of the
economy, and foreign direct investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40%
industry: 25%
services: 35% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 45% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 1.5 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 55%, services 25%, industry
20% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1998 est.)
note: official rate is 9.3% for 1998
Budget: revenues: $360 million
expenditures: $566 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines,
electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric,
chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, gem cutting,
jewelry manufacturing, software development, brandy
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.668 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 45.56%
hydro: 23.25%
nuclear: 31.19%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.201 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fruit (especially grapes), vegetables;
livestock
Exports: $284 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, scrap metal, machinery and
equipment, brandy, copper ore
Exports - partners: Belgium 36%, Iran 15%, Russia 14%, US 7%,
Turkmenistan, Georgia (1999)
Imports: $913 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products,
foodstuffs, diamonds
Imports - partners: Russia 17%, US 11%, Belgium 11%, Iran 10%, UK,
Turkey (1999)
Debt - external: $836 million (January 2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $245.5 million (1995)
Currency: dram (AMD)
Currency code: AMD
Exchange rates: drams per US dollar - 554.29 (1 February 2001),
539.53 (2000), 535.06 (1999), 504.92 (1998), 490.85 (1997), 414.04
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Armenia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 568,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,220 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: system inadequate; now 90%
privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment
are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service)
international: Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe
fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is
available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the
other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and
through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest
of the world; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 850,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (1998)
Televisions: 825,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .am
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
Internet users: 30,000 (2000)
Armenia Transportation
Railways: total: 852 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 852 km 1.520-m gauge (779 km electrified) (2001)
Highways: total: 8,431 km ()
paved: NA
unpaved: NA (1997)
Waterways: NA km
Pipelines: natural gas 900 km (1991)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Armenia Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force and Air Defense Aviation, Air
Defense Force, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 905,154 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
715,734 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 34,998
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $75 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4% (FY99)
Armenia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenians in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the longstanding,
separatist conflict against the Azerbaijani Government; traditional
demands regarding former Armenian lands in Turkey have subsided
Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis mostly for domestic
consumption; increasingly used as a transshipment point for illicit
drugs - mostly opium and hashish - to Western Europe and the US via
Iran, Central Asia, and Russia
======================================================================
@Aruba
Aruba Introduction
Background: Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was
acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been
dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was
followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil
refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the
tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in
1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's
request in 1990.
Aruba Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 12 30 N, 69 58 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 68.5 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Natural resources: NEGL; white sandy beaches
Land use: arable land: 7% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 93% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 0.01 sq km
Natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Environment - current issues: NA
Aruba People
Population: 70,007 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.29% (male 7,709; female 7,193)
15-64 years: 68.52% (male 23,111; female 24,859)
65 years and over: 10.19% (male 2,954; female 4,181) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.64% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: NEGL
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.52 years
male: 75.16 years
female: 82.04 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Ethnic groups: mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
Religions: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim,
Confucian, Jewish
Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese,
Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Aruba Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba
Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full
autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from
the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense
and foreign affairs
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Oranjestad
Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands)
Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March
Constitution: 1 January 1986
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English
common law influence
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard
of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor
General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29
July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ
cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten)
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed
for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime
minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last
held 12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001)
election results: Jan (Henny) H. EMAN elected prime minister;
percent of legislative vote - NA%; Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ elected deputy
prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats;
members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held by NA
December 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - AVP 43%, MEP 39%, OLA
9% PPA 4%, ADN 2%, PARA 1%, MAS 0.5%; seats by party - AVP 10, MEP
9, OLA 2
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed
by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders: Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS
[leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Aruban
Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA
[Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Tico CROES]; Electoral
Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now
or PARA [leader NA]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro
KELLY]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Caricom (observer), ECLAC
(associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the
Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul
General Barbara J. STEPHENSON
embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066
FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489
Flag description: blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes
across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in
white in the upper hoist-side corner
Aruba Economy
Economy - overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the Aruban economy,
although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also
important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last
decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities.
Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985
level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in
1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings,
has further spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and less than
1% unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job
vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 41,501 (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: most employment is in wholesale and
retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil
refining
Unemployment rate: 0.6% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $541 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 450 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 418.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: aloes; livestock; fish
Exports: $2.2 billion (including oil reexports) (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: live animals and animal products, art and
collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Exports - partners: US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999)
Imports: $2.5 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil
for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles
3%, Japan (1999)
Debt - external: $285 million (1996)
Economic aid - recipient: $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands
provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996
Currency: Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
Currency code: AWG
Exchange rates: Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900
(fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Aruba Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 33,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,402 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands
Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 50,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 20,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .aw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: 4,000 (2000)
Aruba Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 800 km
paved: 513 km
unpaved: 287 km
note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large
tracts of the interior (1995)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,120
GRT/3,635 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Aruba Military
Military branches: Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands
Aruba Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: drug-money-laundering center and transit point for
narcotics bound for the US and Europe
======================================================================
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Ashmore and Cartier Islands Introduction
Background: These uninhabited islands came under Australian
authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later.
Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat;
in 1983 it became a National Nature Reserve. Recent geological
explorations have indicated promising petroleum formations.
Ashmore and Cartier Islands Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest
of Australia
Geographic coordinates: 12 14 S, 123 05 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and
Cartier Island
Area - comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 74.1 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: low with sand and coral
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 3 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all grass and sand)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose
maritime hazards
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established
in August 1983
Ashmore and Cartier Islands People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are only seasonal caretakers (July 2001 est.)
Ashmore and Cartier Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and
Cartier Islands
conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and
Territories
Legal system: the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where
applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia)
Flag description: the flag of Australia is used
Ashmore and Cartier Islands Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Ashmore and Cartier Islands Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Ashmore and Cartier Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia;
periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian
Air Force
Ashmore and Cartier Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean Introduction Top of Page
Background: The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's
five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian
Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany),
Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar
(Morocco-Spain), and the St. Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are
important strategic access waterways. The decision by the
International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to
delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion
of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south.
Atlantic Ocean Geography
Location: body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean,
and the Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 W
Map references: World
Area: total: 76.762 million sq km
note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait,
Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico,
Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the
Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
Coastline: 111,866 km
Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of
Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea;
hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent
from August to November
Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,
Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise
warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern
Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic;
the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged
north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico
Trench -8,605 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals
and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits,
polymetallic nodules, precious stones
Natural hazards: icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait,
and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have
been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships
subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from
October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to
September; hurricanes (May to December)
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the
manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is
hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to
international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US,
southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean
Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North
Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea,
North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea
Geography - note: major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait
of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic
straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona
Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator
divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South
Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean Economy
Economy - overview: The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's
most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern
and Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the
exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, the dredging of
aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and
natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).
Atlantic Ocean Transportation
Ports and harbors: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp
(Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca
(Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal),
Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas
(Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal),
London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal
(Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran
(Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de
Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg
(Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
Transportation - note: Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two
important waterways; significant domestic commercial and
recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south
Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US
Atlantic Ocean Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states)
======================================================================
@Australia
Australia Introduction
Background: Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in
1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to
rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to
make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and
II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of
the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas,
especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change
Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British
monarch to an independent republic, was defeated in 1999.
Australia Geography
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South
Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 7,686,850 sq km
land: 7,617,930 sq km
water: 68,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states
of the US
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 25,760 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east;
tropical in north
Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver,
uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds,
natural gas, petroleum
Land use: arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 54%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 21,070 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts
Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing,
industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices;
soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water;
desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the
natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great
Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the
world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a
tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest
country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern
coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the
Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer
Australia People
Population: 19,357,594 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.64% (male 2,045,892; female 1,948,949)
15-64 years: 66.86% (male 6,538,096; female 6,405,014)
65 years and over: 12.5% (male 1,059,107; female 1,360,536) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.99% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.87 years
male: 77.02 years
female: 82.87 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 14,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian
Ethnic groups: Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Religions: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian
24.3%, non-Christian 11%
Languages: English, native languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1980 est.)
Australia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia
Government type: democratic, federal-state system recognizing the
British monarch as sovereign
Capital: Canberra
Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian
Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*,
Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and
McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
National holiday: Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General Rev. Peter
HOLLINGSWORTH (since 29 June 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11
March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since NA)
cabinet: Cabinet selected from among the members of Federal
Parliament by the governor general on the advice of the prime
minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is
usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a
three-year term
note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the
Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each
of the two territories; one-half of the members elected every three
years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the
basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no
state can have fewer than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by
October 2001); House of Representatives - last held 3 October 1998
(next to be held by October 2001)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor
Party 29, Australian Democratic Party 9, Green Party 1, One Nation
Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party
coalition 80, Australian Labor Party 67, independent 1
Judicial branch: High Court (the chief justice and six other
justices are appointed by the governor general)
Political parties and leaders: Australian Democratic Party [Meg
LEES]; Australian Labor Party [Kim BEAZLEY]; Green Party [Bob
BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John
ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Pauline HANSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Australian Democratic Labor
Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear
Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)
International organization participation: ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C,
CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW,
PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTAET,
UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael THAWLEY
chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000
FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and
San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Edward W. GNEHM, Jr.
embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital
Territory 2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600
FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970
consulate(s) general: Sydney
consulate(s): Melbourne and Perth
Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower
hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the
Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed
star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars
Australia Economy
Economy - overview: Australia has a prosperous Western-style
capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four
dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources,
Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals,
metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value
of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can
have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for
increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in
international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has
suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing
the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent
financial problems in East Asia, the economy has expanded at a solid
4% annual growth pace in the last five years. Canberra's emphasis on
reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the
regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate. Growth
in 2001 will depend on key international commodity prices, the
extent of recovery in nearby Asian economies, and the strength of US
and European markets.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $445.8 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 26%
services: 71% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 9.5 million (December 1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture
5% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.4% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $94 billion
expenditures: $103 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food
processing, chemicals, steel
Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 191.727 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.93%
hydro: 8.36%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.71% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 178.306 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle,
sheep, poultry
Exports: $69 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore,
wheat, machinery and transport equipment
Exports - partners: Japan 19%, EU 14%, ASEAN 12%, US 9%, South
Korea, NZ, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1999)
Imports: $77 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, computers
and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude
oil and petroleum products
Imports - partners: EU 24%, US 22%, Japan 14%, ASEAN 13% (1999)
Debt - external: $220.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.43 billion (FY97/98)
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code: AUD
Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January
2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997),
1.2773 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Australia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 9.58 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6.4 million (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and
international service
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in
areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular
telephones
international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea,
and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian
Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean
regions) (1998)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 25.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 104 (1997)
Televisions: 10.15 million (1997)
Internet country code: .au
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 264 (2000)
Internet users: 7.77 million (2000)
Australia Transportation
Railways: total: 33,819 km (2,540 km electrified)
broad gauge: 3,719 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 15,422 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 14,506 km 1.067-m gauge
dual gauge: 172 km NA gauges (1999)
Highways: total: 913,000 km
paved: 353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways)
unpaved: 559,669 km (1996)
Waterways: 8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural
gas 5,600 km
Ports and harbors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport
(Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston
(Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Merchant marine: total: 54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,558,371 GRT/2,038,776 DWT
ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 3, chemical tanker 5, container 1,
liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6
(2000 est.)
Airports: 411 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 271
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 118
914 to 1,523 m: 122
under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 140
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 112
under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)
Australia Military
Military branches: Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal
Australian Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,990,107 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
4,303,966 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 138,971
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $6.9 billion (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY98/99)
Australia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: territorial claim in Antarctica
(Australian Antarctic Territory)
Illicit drugs: Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of
licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over
areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw
concentrate
======================================================================
@Austria
Austria Introduction
Background: Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian
Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in
World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and
subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies, Austria's 1955 State
Treaty declared the country "permanently neutral" as a condition of
Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality, once ingrained as part of
the Austrian cultural identity, has been called into question since
the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's increasingly prominent
role in European affairs. A prosperous country, Austria joined the
European Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system in 1999.
Austria Geography
Location: Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates: 47 20 N, 13 20 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 83,858 sq km
land: 82,738 sq km
water: 1,120 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: total: 2,562 km
border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary
366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia
330 km, Switzerland 164 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent
rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional
showers
Terrain: in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the
eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
Natural resources: iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal,
lignite, copper, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 23%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 20% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land: 457 sq km (1995 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: some forest degradation caused by air
and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of
agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by
coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from
trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads
of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and
valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on
eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low
temperatures elsewhere
Austria People
Population: 8,150,835 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.57% (male 691,925; female 658,375)
15-64 years: 68.05% (male 2,802,019; female 2,744,536)
65 years and over: 15.38% (male 478,498; female 775,482) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.24% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.84 years
male: 74.68 years
female: 81.15 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.23% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian
Ethnic groups: German 98%, Croatian, Slovene, other (includes
Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma)
Religions: Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 5%, Muslim and other 17%
Languages: German
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Austria Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Vienna
Administrative divisions: 9 states (bundeslaender, singular -
bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich,
Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien
Independence: 1156 (from Bavaria)
National holiday: National Day, 26 October (1955); note -
commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality
Constitution: 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)
Legal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial
review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 19 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential
elections
Executive branch: chief of state: President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8
July 1992)
head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4
February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since 4
February 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year
term; presidential election last held 19 April 1998 (next to be held
in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally chosen by the
president from the plurality party in the National Council; in the
case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from
another party after the plurality party failed to form a government;
vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the
chancellor
election results: Thomas KLESTIL reelected president; percent of
vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%,
Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2%
note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung
consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (64 members; members
represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with
each state having at least three representatives; members serve a
four- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183
seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next to be
held in the fall of 2003)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party -
SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party -
SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14
Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof;
Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court
or Verfassungsgerichtshof
Political parties and leaders: Austrian People's Party or OeVP
[Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne
RIESS-PASSER]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred
GUSENBAUER]; The Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Austrian Trade Union
Federation (primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber;
OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman
Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic
Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or
OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,
EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOT, UNOMIG,
UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Peter MOSER
chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kathryn Walt HALL
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [43] (1) 313-39-2060
FAX: [43] (1) 313-39-2057
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white,
and red
Austria Economy
Economy - overview: Austria with its well-developed market economy
and high standard of living is closely tied to other EU economies,
especially Germany's. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of
foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single
European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. In 2000,
Austria moved to further cut government spending and raise taxes to
meet EMU deficit targets after facing unexpected difficulties in
reducing the public deficit. To meet increased competition from both
EU and Central European countries, Austria will need to emphasize
knowledge-based sectors of the economy and continue to deregulate
the service sector. Growth is expected to remain at about 3% in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $203 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2%
industry: 30.4%
services: 67.4% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3.7 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 68%, industry and crafts 29%,
agriculture and forestry 3% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.4% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $56.3 billion
expenditures: $60.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food,
chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard,
communications equipment, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (2000)
Electricity - production: 59.283 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 29.53%
hydro: 67.65%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2.82% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 53.231 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 13.507 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 11.605 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit;
dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
Exports: $63.2 billion (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, paper and
paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles,
foodstuffs
Exports - partners: EU 64.2% (Germany 35.7%, Italy 8.7%, France
4.5%), Switzerland 5.9%, US 4.5%, Hungary 3.9% (1999)
Imports: $65.6 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metal
goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: EU 70.3% (Germany 42.5%, Italy 7.9%, France
5.3%), US 5.4%, Switzerland 3.0%, Hungary 2.8% (1999)
Debt - external: $16 billion (1999)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $472 million (1999)
Currency: Austrian schilling (ATS); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Austria
at a fixed rate of 13.7603 Austrian shillings per euro and will
replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: ATS; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86
(January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997), 10.587
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Austria Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4 million (3,600,000 analog main
lines plus 400,000 ISDN or Integrated Services Digital Network
connections) (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.5 million (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons and the
system is nearly 100% digital; the fiber optic net is very
extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are
available
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 61 (plus several hundred
repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 6.08 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 45 (plus 960 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 4.25 million (1997)
Internet country code: .at
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 37 (2000)
Internet users: 2.6 million (2000)
Austria Transportation
Railways: total: 6,095.2 km (3,643.3 km electrified)
standard gauge: 5,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (3,521.2 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 497.1 km (33.9 km 1.000-m gauge - 28.1 km
electrified, 497.1 km 0.760-m gauge - 94 km electrified) (2001)
Highways: total: 133,361 km
paved: 133,361 km (including 1,613 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1998)
Waterways: 358 km (1999)
Pipelines: crude oil 777 km; natural gas 840 km (1999)
Ports and harbors: Linz, Vienna, Enns, Krems
Merchant marine: total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
86,905 GRT/117,417 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, combination bulk 2, container 2
(2000 est.)
Airports: 55 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 24
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 14 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Austria Military
Military branches: Army (includes Flying Division)
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,091,263 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,731,383 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 50,580
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.7 billion (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY98)
Austria Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: minor disputes with Czech Republic and
Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment
of German-speaking minorities
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and
South American cocaine destined for Western Europe
======================================================================
@Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Introduction
Background: Azerbaijan - a nation of Turkic Muslims - has been an
independent republic since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Despite a cease-fire, in place since 1994, Azerbaijan has yet to
resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan
has lost almost 20% of its territory and must support some 750,000
refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a result of the
conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous and the promise of widespread
wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains
largely unfulfilled.
Azerbaijan Geography
Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran
and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 40 30 N, 47 30 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 86,600 sq km
land: 86,100 sq km
water: 500 sq km
note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the
Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by
Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: total: 2,013 km
border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia
(with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran
(with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian
Sea (800 km, est.)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: dry, semiarid steppe
Terrain: large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of
it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,
Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron
Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous
metals, alumina
Land use: arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts; some lowland areas threatened by rising
levels of the Caspian Sea
Environment - current issues: local scientists consider the Abseron
Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the
Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world
because of severe air, water, and soil pollution; soil pollution
results from the use of DDT as a pesticide and also from toxic
defoliants used in the production of cotton
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked
Azerbaijan People
Population: 7,771,092 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.95% (male 1,146,315; female 1,103,393)
15-64 years: 63.93% (male 2,415,678; female 2,552,759)
65 years and over: 7.12% (male 219,549; female 333,398) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.32% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 18.44 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.55 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -5.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 83.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.96 years
male: 58.65 years
female: 67.49 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.24 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Azerbaijani(s)
adjective: Azerbaijani
Ethnic groups: Azeri 90%, Dagestani 3.2%, Russian 2.5%, Armenian 2%,
other 2.3% (1998 est.)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh
region
Religions: Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox
2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;
percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower
Languages: Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other
6% (1995 est.)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 99%
female: 96% (1989 est.)
Azerbaijan Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form: Azerbaijan
local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form: none
former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Baku (Baki)
Administrative divisions: 59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11
cities* (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic**
(muxtar respublika); Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu,
Agdas Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Ali Bayramli Sahari*,
Astara Rayonu, Baki Sahari*, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan
Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu,
Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Ganca
Sahari*, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli
Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu, Lacin
Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lankaran Sahari*, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli
Rayonu, Mingacevir Sahari*, Naftalan Sahari*, Naxcivan Muxtar
Respublikasi**, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax
Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu,
Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Saki
Sahari*, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu,
Siyazan Rayonu, Sumqayit Sahari*, Susa Rayonu, Susa Sahari*, Tartar
Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xankandi Sahari*,
Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli
Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Yevlax Sahari*, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala
Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu
Independence: 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Founding of the Democratic Republic of
Azerbaidzhan, 28 May (1918)
Constitution: adopted 12 November 1995
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18
June 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 26
November 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and
confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term;
election last held 11 October 1998 (next to be held NA October
2003); prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by
the president and confirmed by the National Assembly
election results: Heydar ALIYEV reelected president; percent of
vote - Heydar ALIYEV 77.6%, Etibar MAMEDOV 11.8%, Nizami SULEYMANOV
8.2%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis
(125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NAP and allies 108, APF 6, CSP 3, PNIA 2, Musavat Party 2, CPA 2,
APF "traditionalist" 1, Compatriot Party 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Azerbaijan Party
[Abutalyb SAMADOV]; Azerbaijani Democratic Party or ADP [Sardar
JALAL]; Azerbaijani Independent Democratic Party or AMDP [Leyla
YUNUSOVA]; Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KERIMOV, leader of
"reform faction"; Mirmahmud FATTAYEV, leader of "traditionalist"
faction]; Civic Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic
Union Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA
[Ramiz AHMADOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA-2 [Firudin
HASANOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Enlightenment
Party [Mammadhanifu MUSAYEV]; Democratic Party for Azerbaijan or DPA
[Ilyus ISMAILOV and Rasul QULIYEV, co-chairman]; Democratic World
Party of Azerbaijan [Mamnad ALIZADE]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan
[Lala Shvkat HAJIYEVA]; Motherland Party [Fazail AGAMALI]; National
Congress Party of Azerbaijan [Ihtiyar SHIRIN]; National Movement
Party [Samir JAFAROV]; National Statehood Party [Sabir
TARIVERDIYEV]; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; New Azerbaijan Party
or NAP [Heydar ALIYEV, chairman]; Party for National Independence of
Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADOV, chairman]; People's Democratic
Party of Azerbaijan or PDPA [Rafig TURABKHANOGLU]; Social Democratic
Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Zardusht ALIZADE, chairman]
note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Sadval, Lezgin movement;
self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh
independence movement
International organization participation: AsDB, BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS,
EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW,
OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Hafiz Mir Jalal PASHAYEV
chancery: (temporary) Suite 700, 927 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
20005 or P. O. Box 28790, Washington, DC 20038-8790
telephone: [1] (202) 842-0001
FAX: [1] (202) 842-0004
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ross WILSON
embassy: Azadliq Prospekt 83, Baku 370007
mailing address: American Embassy Baku, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7050
telephone: [9] (9412) 98-03-35, 36, 37
FAX: [9] (9412) 90-66-71
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red,
and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered
in red band
Azerbaijan Economy
Economy - overview: Azerbaijan's most prominent products are oil,
cotton, and natural gas. Azerbaijan's oil production declined
through 1997 but has registered an increase every year since.
Negotiation of 19 production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with
foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to oil
field development, should generate the funds needed to spur future
industrial development. Oil production under the first of these
PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in
November 1997. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the
former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a
market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its
long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on
economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly
being replaced. An obstacle to economic progress, including stepped
up foreign investment, is the continuing conflict with Armenia over
the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Trade with Russia and the other former
Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building
up with Turkey, Iran, UAE, and the nations of Europe. Long-term
prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new
pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil
wealth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $23.5 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 11.4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22%
industry: 33%
services: 45% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 60% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.9 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and forestry 32%, industry
15%, services 53% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $777 million
expenditures: $995 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield
equipment; steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals;
textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 6.9% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 16.378 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 86.46%
hydro: 13.54%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 15.432 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 600 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 800 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit,
vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
Exports: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: oil and gas 75%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs
Exports - partners: Italy, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Iran
Imports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, metals,
chemicals
Imports - partners: Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, Iran
Debt - external: $1 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $113 million (1996)
Currency: Azerbaijani manat (AZM)
Currency code: AZM
Exchange rates: Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,579 (1 February
2001), 4,342 (October 1999), 4,373 (1999), 3,869 (1998), 3,985.38
(1997), 4,301.26 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Azerbaijan Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 663,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 40,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate; requires
considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 8.6 main
lines per 100 persons is very low
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other
industrial centers - about 700 villages still do not have public
telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern
switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is
still serviceable; a satellite connection to Turkey enables Baku to
reach about 200 additional countries, some of which are directly
connected to Baku by satellite providers other than Turkey (1997)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 175,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: 170,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .az
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 8,000 (2000)
Azerbaijan Transportation
Railways: total: 2,125 km in common carrier service; does not
include industrial lines
broad gauge: 2,125 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (1993)
Highways: total: 24,981 km
paved: 23,057 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and
include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are
surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them
trafficable in all weather)
unpaved: 1,924 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and
are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1998)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 1,130 km; petroleum products 630 km; natural
gas 1,240 km
Ports and harbors: Baku (Baki)
Merchant marine: total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
253,882 GRT/313,252 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 12, petroleum tanker 40, roll on/roll
off 2, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 52 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 43
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 28 (2000 est.)
Azerbaijan Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border
Guards
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,102,780 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,684,673 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 77,099
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $121 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% (FY99)
Azerbaijan Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenians in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the longstanding,
separatist conflict against the Azerbaijani Government; Caspian Sea
boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan
Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium
poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication
program; transshipment point for opiates via Iran, Central Asia, and
Russia to Western Europe
======================================================================
@Bahamas, The
Bahamas, The Introduction
Background: Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The
Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and
investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a
major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments
to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants
into the US.
Bahamas, The Geography
Location: Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean,
southeast of Florida
Geographic coordinates: 24 15 N, 76 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3,542 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain: long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 67% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause
extensive flood and wind damage
Environment - current issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba;
extensive island chain
Bahamas, The People
Population: 297,852
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.43% (male 44,179; female 43,486)
15-64 years: 64.46% (male 94,329; female 97,674)
65 years and over: 6.11% (male 7,618; female 10,566) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.93% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 19.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.46 years
male: 67.27 years
female: 73.71 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.13% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,900 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 500 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian
Ethnic groups: black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Religions: Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist
6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%,
other 2%
Languages: English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.2%
male: 98.5%
female: 98% (1995 est.)
Bahamas, The Government
Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas
Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital: Nassau
Administrative divisions: 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands,
Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's
Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps
Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nicholls
Town and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San
Salvador and Rum Cay
Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 10 July (1973)
Constitution: 10 July 1973
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Orville
TURNQUEST (since 2 January 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since
19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since
December 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister
appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of
the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms)
and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 March 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
FNM 35, PLP 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts
Political parties and leaders: Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert
Alexander INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry
CHRISTIE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Joshua SEARS
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate J. Richard BLANKENSHIP
embassy: Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197,
Nassau; stateside address: American Embassy Nassau, P. O. Box
599009, Miami, FL 33159-9009; pouch address: Nassau, Department of
State, Washington, DC 20521-3370
telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206
FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top),
gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the
hoist side
Bahamas, The Economy
Economy - overview: The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with
an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking.
Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or
indirectly employs 40% of the archipelago's labor force. Moderate
growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels,
resorts, and residences led to an increase of the country's GDP by
an estimated 3% in 1998, 6% in 1999, and 4.5% in 2000. Manufacturing
and agriculture together contribute only 10% of GDP and show little
growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors.
Overall growth prospects in the short run will depend heavily on the
fortunes of the tourism sector and continued sturdy growth in the
US, which accounts for the majority of tourist visitors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 7%
services: 90% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.9% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 156,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: tourism 40%, other services 50%,
industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $766 million
expenditures: $845 million, including capital expenditures of $97
million (FY97/98)
Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and
transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded
steel pipe
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.465 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.362 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: citrus, vegetables; poultry
Exports: $376.8 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish,
refined petroleum products
Exports - partners: US 22.3%, Switzerland 15.6%, UK 15%, Denmark
7.4% (1998)
Imports: $1.73 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil,
vehicles, electronics
Imports - partners: US 27.3%, Italy 26.5%, Japan 10%, Denmark 4.2%
(1998)
Debt - external: $385.8 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $9.8 million (1995)
Currency: Bahamian dollar (BSD)
Currency code: BSD
Exchange rates: Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate
pegged to the dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Bahamas, The Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 96,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,152 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida;
3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 215,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 67,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bs
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 19 (2000)
Internet users: 15,000 (2000)
Bahamas, The Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1997)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau
Merchant marine: total: 1,049 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
30,000,221 GRT/44,601,471 DWT
ships by type: bulk 185, cargo 214, chemical tanker 36, combination
bulk 15, combination ore/oil 22, container 66, liquefied gas 33,
livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 4,
passenger 79, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 182, railcar
carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 118, roll on/roll off 50, short-sea
passenger 15, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 24
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Algeria 2, Australia 1, Austria 1, Bermuda 6,
Belgium 14, Canada 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 2, Denmark 17, Finland 7,
France 9, Germany 9, Greece 89, Hong Kong 7, Indonesia 2, India 1,
Israel 4, Italy 8, Japan 23, Jamaica 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 2,
Luxembourg 2, Monaco 15, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 16, Norway 139,
Poland 3, Portugal 2, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 5, Singapore 12, Spain
7, Sweden 14, Syria 1, Switzerland 7, UAE 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2,
UK 67, Ukraine 3, US 50, British Virgin Islands 1, British Virgin
Islands 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 65 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 36
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 23 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Bahamas, The Military
Military branches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only),
Royal Bahamas Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $20 million (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Bahamas, The Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound
for US and Europe; banking industry vulnerable to money laundering
======================================================================
@Bahrain
Bahrain Introduction
Background: Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian
Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in
foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Possessing minimal oil
reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining,
and has transformed itself into an international banking center. The
new amir is pushing economic and political reforms, and has worked
to improve relations with the Shi'a community. In 2001, the
International Court of Justice awarded the Hawar Islands, long
disputed with Qatar, to Bahrain.
Bahrain Geography
Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of
Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N, 50 33 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 620 sq km
land: 620 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
escarpment
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas,
fish, pearls
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 92% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms
Environment - current issues: desertification resulting from the
degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust
storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and
sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from
large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; no natural
fresh water resources so that groundwater and sea water are the only
sources for all water needs
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources;
strategic location in Persian Gulf which much of Western world's
petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
Bahrain People
Population: 645,361
note: includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.6% (male 96,697; female 94,330)
15-64 years: 67.43% (male 257,360; female 177,839)
65 years and over: 2.97% (male 9,721; female 9,414) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.73% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 20.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.45 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.29 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 19.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.2 years
male: 70.81 years
female: 75.67 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.79 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini
Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%
Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.2%
male: 89.1%
female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
Bahrain Government
Country name: conventional long form: State of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Dawlat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Manama
Administrative divisions: 12 municipalities (manatiq, singular -
mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al
Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa'
wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa,
Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama
Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August
1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is
the date of independence from British protection
Constitution: adopted late December 2000 (new constitution calls for
a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an
independent judiciary)
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa
(since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad
(son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa
(since NA 1971)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26
August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet;
appointed Advisory Council established 16 December 1992; the
National Action Charter created a bicameral legislature on 23
December 2000; approved by referendum of 14 February 2001
Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited
Political pressure groups and leaders: Shi'a activists fomented
unrest sporadically 1994-97, demanding the return of an elected
National Assembly and an end to unemployment; several small,
clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active
International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF,
ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 342-0741
FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Johnny YOUNG
embassy: #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 321,
Zinj District, Manama
mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE
09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama
telephone: [973] 273-300
FAX: [973] 272-594
Flag description: red with a white serrated band (eight white
points) on the hoist side
Bahrain Economy
Economy - overview: In Bahrain, petroleum production and refining
account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government
revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication
and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational
firms with business in the Gulf. Bahrain is dependent on Saudi
Arabia for oil revenue granted as aid. A large share of exports
consists of petroleum products made from imported crude.
Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects.
Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both
oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic
problems.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 46%
services: 53% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 295,000 (1998 est.)
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(July 1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry, commerce, and service 79%,
government 20%, agriculture 1% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)
Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting,
offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.185 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 5.752 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products;
shrimp, fish
Exports: $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 61%,
aluminum 7%
Exports - partners: India 14%, Saudi Arabia 5%, US 5%, UAE 5%, Japan
4%, South Korea 4% (1999)
Imports: $4.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%
Imports - partners: France 20%, US 14%, UK 8%, Saudi Arabia 7%,
Japan 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $2.7 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $48.4 million (1995)
Currency: Bahraini dinar (BHD)
Currency code: BHD
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.3760 (fixed rate
pegged to the US dollar)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Bahrain Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 152,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 58,543 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network
with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
international: tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave
radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and
Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 338,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (1997)
Televisions: 275,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 37,500 (2000)
Bahrain Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 3,164 km
paved: 2,433 km
unpaved: 731 km
note: there is a paved causeway connecting Bahrain to Saudi Arabia
(1997)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32
km
Ports and harbors: Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah
Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
175,609 GRT/207,652 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 3, container 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Bahrain Military
Military branches: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard,
Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 15 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 222,141 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
121,833 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 5,926
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $318 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.2% (FY99)
Bahrain Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: in March of 2001, the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Hawar Islands to Bahrain and also
adjusted Bahrain's maritime boundary with Qatar
======================================================================
@Baker Island
Baker Island Introduction
Background: The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its
guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the
second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at
colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland
Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned.
Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US
Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle
of the west coast.
Baker Island Geography
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half
of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates: 0 13 N, 176 31 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 1.4 sq km
land: 1.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 4.8 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow
fringing reef
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 8 m
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial
and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can
be a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation
consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs;
primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds,
shorebirds, and marine wildlife
Baker Island People
Population: uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and
naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during
World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by
special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and
generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and
remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the
middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife
Service (July 2001 est.)
Baker Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Baker Island
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered
from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US
Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge
system
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Baker Island Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Baker Island Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is
one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast
Airports: 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m, completely
covered with vegetation and unusable (2000 est.)
Transportation - note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the
west coast
Baker Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard
Baker Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Bangladesh
Bangladesh Introduction
Background: Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East
Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of
this extremely poor country annually floods during the monsoon rainy
season, hampering economic development.
Bangladesh Geography
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma
and India
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries: total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline: 580 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 18 NM
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer
(March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Land use: arable land: 73%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 15%
other: 5% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 31,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely
inundated during the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues: many people are landless and forced to
live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases
prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing
areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water
contaminated by naturally-occurring arsenic; intermittent water
shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and
central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion;
deforestation; severe overpopulation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Bangladesh People
Population: 131,269,860 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.04% (male 23,550,607; female
22,451,006)
15-64 years: 61.6% (male 41,432,123; female 39,434,633)
65 years and over: 3.36% (male 2,389,639; female 2,011,852) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.59% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 25.3 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.19 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 69.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.54 years
male: 60.74 years
female: 60.33 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.78 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)
Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56%
male: 63%
female: 49% (2000 est.)
Bangladesh Government
Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of
Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Dhaka
Administrative divisions: 5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka,
Khulna, Rajshahi; note - there may be one additional division named
Sylhet
Independence: 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March
1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December
1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation
of the state of Bangladesh
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March
1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December
1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the
state of Bangladesh
Constitution: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended
following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended
many times
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Shahabuddin AHMED
(since 9 October 1996); note - the president's duties are normally
ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution
("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes
significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker
government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise
the elections
head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA (since 13 July
1996)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by
the president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year
term; election last held 24 July 1996 (next to be held by NA October
2001); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that
wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the
president
election results: Shahabuddin AHMED elected president without
opposition; percent of National Parliament vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad
(330 seats; 300 elected by popular vote from single territorial
constituencies, 30 seats reserved for women; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 12 June 1996 (next to be held before 13
October 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - AL 33.87%, BNP 30.87%;
seats by party - AL 178, BNP 113, JP 33, JI 3, other 3; note - the
elections of 12 June 1996 brought to power an Awami League
government for the first time in twenty-one years; held under a
neutral, caretaker administration, the elections were characterized
by a peaceful, orderly process and massive voter turnout, ending a
bitter two-year impasse between the former BNP and opposition
parties that had paralyzed National Parliament and led to widespread
street violence
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges
are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA];
Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK];
Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIAur Rahman]; Islami
Oikya Jote or IOJ [Azizol HAQ]; Jamaat-E-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman
NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC,
UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate A. Tariq KARIM
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mary Ann PETERS
embassy: Road 27, House 110, Banani, Dhaka
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 8824700 through 8824722
FAX: [880] (2) 8823744
Flag description: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist
side of center; the red sun of freedom represents the blood shed to
achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush
countryside, and secondarily, the traditional color of Islam
Bangladesh Economy
Economy - overview: Despite sustained domestic and international
efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh
remains one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and
least developed nations. Although more than half of GDP is generated
through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are
employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single most
important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent
cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate
port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be
absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources
(natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation
of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by
political infighting and corruption at all levels of government.
Even so, Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA's Awami League government has
made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and
liberalizing the capital markets. Progress on other economic reforms
has been halting because of opposition from the bureaucracy, public
sector unions, and other vested interest groups.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $203 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,570 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 18%
services: 52% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35.6% (FY95/96 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 64.1 million (1998)
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman,
Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion
in 1998-99
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry
11% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate: 35.2% (1996)
Budget: revenues: $4.9 billion
expenditures: $6.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY99/00 est.)
Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper
newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate: 6.1% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 12.06 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.7%
hydro: 6.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 11.216 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes,
tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Exports: $5.9 billion (2000)
Exports - commodities: garments, jute and jute goods, leather,
frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners: US 31.2%, Germany 9.95%, UK 8.06%, France 5.82%,
Italy 4.42% (1999)
Imports: $8.1 billion (2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and
steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products,
cement
Imports - partners: India 12.2%, Singapore 7.8%, Japan 6.7%, China
6.4%, US 5.3% (1999)
Debt - external: $17 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.575 billion (2000 est.)
Currency: taka (BDT)
Currency code: BDT
Exchange rates: taka per US dollar - 54.000 (January 2001), 52.142
(2000), 49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997), 41.794 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Bangladesh Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 500,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 283,000 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: totally inadequate for a
modern country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems
include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some
fiber-optic cable in cities
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian
Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline
service to neighboring countries (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios: 6.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1999)
Televisions: 770,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bd
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (2000)
Internet users: 30,000 (2000)
Bangladesh Transportation
Railways: total: 2,745 km
broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 201,182 km
paved: 19,112 km
unpaved: 182,070 km (1997)
Waterways: up to 8,046 km depending on season
note: includes 3,058 km main cargo routes
Pipelines: natural gas 1,250 km
Ports and harbors: Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj (2001)
Merchant marine: total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
268,566 GRT/375,110 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 25, container 3, petroleum tanker 2,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 18 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 15
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Bangladesh Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, paramilitary
forces (includes Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Village
Defense Parties, National Cadet Corps), Armed Police battalions
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 36,005,553 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
21,362,279 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $559 million (FY96/97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (FY96/97)
Bangladesh Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: a portion of the boundary with India is
indefinite; exchange of 151 enclaves along border with India subject
to ratification by Indian parliament; dispute with India over South
Talpatty/New Moore Island
Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs produced in
neighboring countries
======================================================================
@Barbados
Barbados Introduction
Background: The island was uninhabited when first settled by the
British in 1627. Its economy remained heavily dependent on sugar,
rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. In
the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in
economic importance.
Barbados Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 97 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 37%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 46% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste
disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal
threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements: party to: Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity
Geography - note: easternmost Caribbean island
Barbados People
Population: 275,330 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.68% (male 30,122; female 29,572)
15-64 years: 69.44% (male 93,283; female 97,915)
65 years and over: 8.88% (male 9,432; female 15,006) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.46% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.47 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.25 years
male: 70.66 years
female: 75.86 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.17% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,800 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 130 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups: black 80%, white 4%, other 16%
Religions: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist
7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Languages: English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.4%
male: 98%
female: 96.8% (1995 est.)
Barbados Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Government type: parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign
state within the Commonwealth
Capital: Bridgetown
Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew,
Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy,
Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the
city of Bridgetown may be given parish status
Independence: 30 November 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution: 30 November 1966
Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative
acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford
Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6
September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Billie MILLER (since 6
September 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; prime minister appointed by the governor
general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of
Assembly (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 20 January 1999 (next to
be held by January 2004)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - BLP 26, DLP 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed
by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)
Political parties and leaders: Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen
ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; National
Democratic Party or NDP [Richard HAYNES]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Barbados Workers Union [Leroy
TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMMISSIONG]; People's
Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr.
George BELLE]
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael KING
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James A. DALEY
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street,
Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold
band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the
past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
Barbados Economy
Economy - overview: Historically, the Barbadian economy had been
dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but
production in recent years has diversified into manufacturing and
tourism. The start of the Port Charles Marina project in
Speightstown helped the tourism industry continue to expand in
1996-2000. Offshore finance and information services are important
foreign exchange earners, and there is also a light manufacturing
sector. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment,
encourage direct foreign investment, and privatize remaining
state-owned enterprises. Growth should remain steady in 2001, with
new tourist facilities a plus factor.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 16%
services: 80% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 136,000 (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture
10% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $725.5 million
expenditures: $750.6 million, including capital expenditures of
$126.3 million (FY97/98 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly
for export
Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (1996)
Electricity - production: 718 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 667.7 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Exports: $260 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and
beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing
Exports - partners: UK 14.8%, US 11.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.6%,
Venezuela 6.1%, Jamaica 5.8% (1998)
Imports: $800.3 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs,
construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners: US 30.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Japan 8.3%,
UK 7.7%, Canada 2.2% (1998)
Debt - external: $425 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $9.1 million (1995)
Currency: Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Currency code: BBD
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate
pegged to the US dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Barbados Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 108,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,013 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 237,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)
Televisions: 76,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bb
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 19 (2000)
Internet users: 6,000 (2000)
Barbados Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,600 km
paved: 1,578 km
unpaved: 22 km (1998)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)
Merchant marine: total: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
671,545 GRT/1,125,635 DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 28, combination bulk 1, container 2,
petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Canada 2, Hong Kong 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Barbados Military
Military branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes Ground
Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 78,069 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
53,576 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Barbados Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for
narcotics bound for Europe and the US
======================================================================
@Bassas da India
Bassas da India Introduction
Background: This atoll is a volcanic rock surrounded by reefs and is
awash at high tide. A French possession since 1897, it was placed
under the administration of a commissioner residing in Reunion in
1968.
Bassas da India Geography
Location: Southern Africa, islands in the southern Mozambique
Channel, about one-half of the way from Madagascar to Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 21 30 S, 39 50 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 0.2 sq km
land: 0.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about one-third the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 35.2 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: volcanic rock
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 2.4 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all rock)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: maritime hazard since it is usually under water
during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic
cyclones
Environment - current issues: NA
Bassas da India People
Population: uninhabited (July 2001 est.)
Bassas da India Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bassas da India
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high
commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Bassas da India Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Bassas da India Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Bassas da India Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Bassas da India Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar
======================================================================
@Belarus
Belarus Introduction
Background: After seven decades as a constituent republic of the
USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained
closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other
former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a
two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and
economic integration but, to date, neither side has actively sought
to implement the accord.
Belarus Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 207,600 sq km
land: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries: total: 3,098 km
border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km,
Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between
continental and maritime
Terrain: generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources: forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil
and natural gas
Land use: arable land: 29%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: soil pollution from pesticide use;
southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986
nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked
Belarus People
Population: 10,350,194 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.93% (male 947,820; female 908,210)
15-64 years: 68.21% (male 3,428,920; female 3,631,290)
65 years and over: 13.86% (male 473,992; female 959,962) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.15% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.57 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13.97 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.14 years
male: 62.06 years
female: 74.52 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.28% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 14,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 400 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups: Byelorussian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian,
and other 7.4%
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Languages: Byelorussian, Russian, other
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
Belarus Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
local short form: none
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Minsk
Administrative divisions: 6 voblastsi (singular - voblasts') and one
municipality* (harady, singular - horad); Brestskaya (Brest),
Homyel'skaya (Homyel'), Horad Minsk*, Hrodzyenskaya (Hrodna),
Mahilyowskaya (Mahilyow), Minskaya, Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk); note -
when using a place name with the adjectival ending 'skaya' the word
voblasts' should be added to the place name
note: voblasti have the administrative center name following in
parentheses
Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July
1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August
1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution: 30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24
November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and
became effective 27 November 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO
(since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Vladimir YERMOSHIN (since 18
February 2000); First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey KOBYAKOV (since
13 March 2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Mikhail DEMCHUK (since 14
July 2000), Mikhail KHORSTOV (since 27 November 2000), Valeriy
KOKOREV (since 23 August 1994), Leonid KOZIK (since 4 February
1997), Gennadiy NOVITSKIY (since 11 February 1997), Aleksandr POPKOV
(since 10 November 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held
NA; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should
have been held in 1999, however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001
via the November 1996 referendum); prime minister and deputy prime
ministers appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO elected president; percent
of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie
consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64
seats) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Pretsaviteley
(110 seats)
elections: last held October 2000 (next to be held NA)
election results: party affiliation data unavailable; under present
political conditions party designations are meaningless
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by
the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)
Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party or AP [Semyon
SHARETSKY, chairman]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [Viktor
CHIKIN, chairman]; Belarusian Ecological Green Party (merger of
Belarusian Ecological Party and Green Party of Belarus) [leader NA];
Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR
[Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Popular Front or BNF
[Vintsuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat or SDBP [Nikolay
STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hromada
[Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Socialist Party
[Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV]; Civic Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or
CAB [Stanislav BOGDANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party or
LDPB [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH, chairman]; Party of Communists Belarusian
or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Republican Party of Labor and
Justice or RPPS [Anatoliy NETYLKIN, chairman]; Social-Democrat Party
of Popular Accord or PPA [Leanid SECHKA]; Women's Party Nadezhda
[Valentina POLEVIKOVA, chairperson]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: CCC, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
ITU, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Valeriy TSEPAKLO
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604
FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael KOZAK
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83
FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
Flag description: red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal
band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on
the hoist side bears the Belarusian national ornament in red
Belarus Economy
Economy - overview: Belarus has seen little structural reform since
1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of
"market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO
reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange
rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management
of private enterprise. In addition to the burdens imposed by
extremely high inflation, businesses have been subject to pressure
on the part of central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary
changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, and
retroactive application of new business regulations prohibiting
practices that had been legal. Further economic problems are two
consecutive bad harvests, 1998-99, and persistent trade deficits.
Close relations with Russia, possibly leading to reunion, color the
pattern of economic developments. For the time being, Belarus
remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $78.8 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13%
industry: 46%
services: 41% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 22% (1995 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
4.9%
highest 10%: 19.4% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 200% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.8 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: industry and construction NA%,
agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA%
Unemployment rate: 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December
2000); large number of underemployed workers
Budget: revenues: $4 billion
expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180
million (1997 est.)
Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earth
movers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer,
textiles, radios, refrigerators
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 24.911 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.9%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 27.647 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 2.62 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 7.1 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets,
flax; beef, milk
Exports: $7.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals,
textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners: Russia 66%, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Lithuania
(1998)
Imports: $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: mineral products, machinery and equipment,
metals, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Russia 54%, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Lithuania
(1998)
Debt - external: $1 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $194.3 million (1995)
Currency: Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
Currency code: BYB/BYR
Exchange rates: Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 1,180 (yearend
2000), 730,000 (15 December 1999), 139,000 (25 January 1999), 46,080
(second quarter 1998), 25,964 (1997), 15,500 (yearend 1996); note -
on 1 January 2000, the national currency was redenominated at one
new ruble to 2,000 old rubles
Fiscal year: calendar year
Belarus Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,167 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: the Ministry of
Telecommunications controls all telecommunications through its
carrier (a joint stock company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly
domestic: local - Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a
cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long;
local service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity -
Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently
serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus's fiber optics form
synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries'
systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational
international: Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line
(TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to
the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide
connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide
service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure;
additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and
Intersputnik earth stations
Radio broadcast stations: AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Radios: 3.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 2.52 million (1997)
Internet country code: .by
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2000)
Internet users: 10,000 (2000)
Belarus Transportation
Railways: total: 5,523 km
broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2000)
Highways: total: 63,355 km
paved: 60,567 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and
include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are
surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them
trafficable in all weather)
unpaved: 2,788 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and
are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1998)
Waterways: NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal
and river systems
Pipelines: crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural
gas 1,980 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Mazyr
Airports: 136 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 33
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 103
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 65 (2000 est.)
Belarus Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Interior
Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,729,956 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,138,743 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 86,396
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $156 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY98)
Belarus Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis,
mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit
drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe
======================================================================
@Belgium
Belgium Introduction
Background: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830
and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has
prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically
advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions
between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the
French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to
constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition
and autonomy.
Belgium Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France
and the Netherlands
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 30,510 sq km
land: 30,230 sq km
water: 280 sq km
Area - comparative: about the size of Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km
Coastline: 66 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: median line with neighbors
exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about
68 km from coast)
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 21%
other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Environment - current issues: the environment is exposed to intense
pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation
network, industry, intense animal breeding and crop cultivation; air
and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring
countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional
responsibilities (now resolved) have impeded progress in tackling
environmental challenges
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West
European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of
both the EU and NATO
Belgium People
Population: 10,258,762 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.48% (male 916,957; female 876,029)
15-64 years: 65.57% (male 3,390,145; female 3,336,908)
65 years and over: 16.95% (male 709,212; female 1,029,511) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.16% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 10.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.96 years
male: 74.63 years
female: 81.46 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,700 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian
Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages: Dutch 58%, French 32%, German 10%, legally bilingual
(Dutch and French)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Belgium Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form: Belgique/Belgie
Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a
constitutional monarch
Capital: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular
- province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen,
Brabant Wallon, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams Brabant, West-Vlaanderen; note - the
Brussels Capitol Region is not included within the 10 provinces
Independence: 21 July 1831 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 July (1831)
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament
approved a constitutional package creating a federal state
Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional
theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August
1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch and approved
by Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch and then approved by Parliament
note: government coalition - VLD, PRL, PS, SP, AGALEV, and ECOLO
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or
Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly
elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve
four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in
French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on
the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 June 1999
(next to be held in NA 2003)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%,
CVP 14.7%, PRL 10.6%, PS 9.7%, VB 9.4%, SP 8.9%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV
7.1%, PSC 6.0%, VU 5.1%; seats by party - VLD 11, CVP 10, PS 10, PRL
9, VB 6, SP 6, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, PSC 5, VU 3; Chamber of Deputies -
percent of vote by party - VLD 14.3%, CVP 14.1%, PS 10.2%, PRL
10.1%, VB 9.9%, SP 9.5%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV 7.0%, PSC 5.9%, VU 5.6%;
seats by party - VLD 23, CVP 22, PS 19, PRL 18, VB 15, SP 14, ECOLO
11, PSC 10, AGALEV 9, VU 8, FN 1
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that
furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three
levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community)
with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly; for other
acronyms of the listed parties see Political parties and leaders
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in
Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for
life by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders: AGALEV (Flemish Greens) [Dos
GEYSELS]; ECOLO (Francophone Greens) [no president]; Flemish
Christian Democrats or CVP (Christian People's Party) [Stefaan DE
CLERCK, president]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Karel DE
GUCHT, president]; Flemish Socialist Party or SP [Patrick JANSSENS,
president]; Francophone Christian Democrats or PSC (Social Christian
Party) [Joelle MILQUET, president]; Francophone Liberal Reformation
Party or PRL [Daniel DUCARME, president]; Francophone Socialist
Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO, president]; National Front or FN [Daniel
FERET]; Vlaams Blok or VB [Frank VANHECKE]; Volksunie or VU [leader
vacant]; other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Christian and Socialist Trade
Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other
associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class
artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various
organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and
Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups
representing immigrants
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB,
EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB
(nonregional), WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Alexis REYN
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side),
yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France
Belgium Economy
Economy - overview: This modern private enterprise economy has
capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed
transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base.
Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the
north, although the government is encouraging investment in the
southern region of Wallonia. With few natural resources, Belgium
must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a
large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent
on the state of world markets. About three-quarters of its trade is
with other EU countries. Belgium's public debt is expected to fall
below 100% of GDP in 2002, and the government has succeeded in
balancing is budget. Belgium became a charter member of the European
Monetary Union (EMU) in January 1999. Economic growth in 2000 was
broad based, putting the government in a good position to pursue its
energy market liberalization policies and planned tax cuts.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $259.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $25,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 26%
services: 72.6% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 4%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.7%
highest 10%: 20.2% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.34 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 25%, agriculture
2% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $114.8 billion
expenditures: $117 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6
billion (1999)
Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles,
glass, petroleum, coal
Industrial production growth rate: 5.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 79.829 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.01%
hydro: 0.42%
nuclear: 58.33%
other: 1.24% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 75.089 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 8.207 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 9.055 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits,
grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
Exports: $181.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds,
metals and metal products
Exports - partners: EU 76% (Germany 18%, France 18%, Netherlands
12%, UK 10%) (1999)
Imports: $166 billion (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals
and metal products
Imports - partners: EU 71% (Germany 18%, Netherlands 17%, France
14%, UK 9%) (1999)
Debt - external: $28.3 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $764 million (1997)
Currency: Belgian franc (BEF); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Belgium
at a fixed rate of 40.3399 Belgian francs per euro and will replace
the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: BEF; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); Belgian francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January
1999), 36.229 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Belgium Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4.769 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 974,494 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed,
technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and
international telephone and telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Radio broadcast stations: FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 8.075 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 4.72 million (1997)
Internet country code: .be
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 61 (2000)
Internet users: 2.7 million (2000)
Belgium Transportation
Railways: total: 3,437 km (2,446 km electrified; 2,563 km double
track)
standard gauge: 3,437 km 1.435-m gauge (1998)
Highways: total: 145,774 km
paved: 116,182 km (including 1,674 km of expressways)
unpaved: 29,592 km (1999)
Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural
gas 3,300 km
Ports and harbors: Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports),
Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Merchant marine: total: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
32,912 GRT/53,161 DWT
ships by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 9, petroleum tanker 6 (2000
est.)
Airports: 42 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 24
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Belgium Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie,
Medical Service
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,517,596 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,079,624 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 63,247
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.5 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99)
Belgium Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point
for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South
American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine,
heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe
======================================================================
@Belize
Belize Introduction
Background: Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala
delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until
1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992.
Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains
plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South
American drug trade, and increased urban crime.
Belize Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between
Guatemala and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline: 386 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM in the north, 3 NM in the south; note - from
the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's
territorial sea is 3 NM; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act,
1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for
the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences
with Guatemala
Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to
November); dry season (February to May)
Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 84%
other: 3% (2000 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to
December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from
sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste
disposal
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: only country in Central America without a
coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
Belize People
Population: 256,062 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.04% (male 54,876; female 52,780)
15-64 years: 54.43% (male 70,534; female 68,837)
65 years and over: 3.53% (male 4,403; female 4,632) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.7% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.19 years
male: 68.91 years
female: 73.57 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 170 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean
Ethnic groups: mestizo 43.7%, Creole 29.8%, Maya 10%, Garifuna 6.2%,
other 10.3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%,
Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal
2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% (1980)
Languages: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib),
Creole
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.3%
male: 70.3%
female: 70.3% (1991 est.)
note: other sources list the literacy rate as high as 75%
Belize Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Belmopan
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange
Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Constitution: 21 September 1981
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG
(since 17 November 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 27 August
1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; governor general appoints the member of
the House of Representatives who is leader of the majority party to
be prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the
Senate (eight members, five appointed on the advice of the prime
minister, two on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one
by the governor general; members are appointed for five-year terms);
and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by
direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 27 August 1998
(next to be held by NA August 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%, UDP 40.8%;
seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by
the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
Political parties and leaders: People's United Party or PUP [Said
MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW,
Doug SINGH]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Society for the Promotion of
Education and Research or SPEAR [Diane HAYLOCK]; United Worker's
Front
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Lisa M. SHOMAN
chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Carolyn CURIEL
embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City
mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025
telephone: [501] (2) 77161
FAX: [501] (2) 30802
Flag description: blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and
the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of
arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in
front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I
Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a
green garland
Belize Economy
Economy - overview: The small, essentially private enterprise
economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and
merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater
importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of
exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest
employer. The government's tough austerity program in 1997 resulted
in an economic slowdown that continued in 1998. The trade deficit
has been growing, mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar
and bananas. The tourist and construction sectors strengthened in
early 1999, supporting growth of 6% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. Aided by
international donors, the government's key short-term objective
remains the reduction of poverty.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $790 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18%
industry: 24%
services: 58% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 33% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 71,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical
personnel (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services
30% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 12.8% (1999)
Budget: revenues: $157 million
expenditures: $279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: garment production, food processing, tourism,
construction
Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (1999)
Electricity - production: 185 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 56.76%
hydro: 43.24%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 172.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber;
fish, cultured shrimp
Exports: $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish
products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners: US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%,
Mexico 1% (1999)
Imports: $413 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners: US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America
5%, Caricom 4% (1998)
Debt - external: $338 million (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Belizean dollar (BZD)
Currency code: BZD
Exchange rates: Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate
pegged to the US dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Belize Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 31,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,023 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 133,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: 41,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 12,000 (2000)
Belize Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,872 km
paved: 488 km
unpaved: 2,384 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft;
seasonally navigable)
Ports and harbors: Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda
Merchant marine: total: 402 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,575,851 GRT/2,241,731 DWT
ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 265, chemical tanker 6, combination
ore/oil 1, container 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum
tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea
passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Cuba 1, Singapore 1, US 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 44 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 40
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.)
Belize Military
Military branches: Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime
Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 62,698 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
37,174 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 2,847
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $17 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.4% (FY98/99)
Belize Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Guatemala periodically asserts claims to
territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both
states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto
boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala
Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor
money-laundering center
======================================================================
@Benin
Benin Introduction
Background: Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960; the
name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to 1989 the country was
a socialist state; free elections were reestablished in 1991.
Benin Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Nigeria and Togo
Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total: 1,989 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773
km, Togo 644 km
Coastline: 121 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low
mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble,
timber
Land use: arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 48% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in
winter
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water;
poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation;
desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: no natural harbors
Benin People
Population: 6,590,782
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.32% (male 1,574,124; female 1,544,741)
15-64 years: 50.38% (male 1,607,900; female 1,712,360)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 64,756; female 86,901) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.97% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 44.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.51 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 89.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.94 years
male: 49.02 years
female: 50.88 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.23 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.45% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 70,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective: Beninese
Ethnic groups: African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being
Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common
vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in
north)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 37.5%
male: 52.2%
female: 23.6% (2000)
Benin Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Benin
conventional short form: Benin
local long form: Republique du Benin
local short form: Benin
former: Dahomey
Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped
Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February
1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991
Capital: Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of
government
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou,
Mono, Oueme, Zou; note - six additional provinces have been reported
but not confirmed; they are Alibori, Collines, Couffo, Donga,
Littoral, and Plateau; moreover, the term "province" may have been
changed to "department"
Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: National Day, 1 August (1960)
Constitution: December 1990
Legal system: based on French civil law and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since
4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year
term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held NA March
2006)
election results: Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of
vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9%
note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first round
presidential elections were: Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%,
Nicephore SOGOLO (former president) 27.1%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI
(National Assembly Speaker) 12.6%, and Bruno AMOUSSOU (Minister of
State) 8.6%; the second round balloting, originally scheduled for 18
March, was postponed four days because both SOGOLO and HOUNGBEDJI
withdrew alleging electoral fraud; this left KEREKOU to run against
his own Minister of State, AMOUSSOU, in what was termed a "friendly
match"
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, E'toile 4, Alliance
IPD 4, Car-DUNYA 3, MERCI 2, other 7
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle;
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Political parties and leaders: African Movement for Democracy and
Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance for Democracy and
Progress or ADP [Sylvain Adekpedjou AKINDES]; Alliance of the Social
Democratic Party or PSD and the National Union for Solidarity and
Progress or UNSP [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Cameleon Alliance or AC [leader
NA]; Car-DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; Communist Party of Benin or PCB [Pascal
FANTONDJI, first secretary]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien
HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA
[Jerome Sakia KINA]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD
[Bertin BORNA]; Liberal Democrats' Rally for National
Reconstruction-Vivoten or RDL-Vivoten [Severin ADJOVI]; Movement for
Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; New
Generation for the Republic or NGR [Paul DOSSOU]; Our Common Cause
or NCC [Francois Odjo TANKPINON]; Party Democratique du Benin or PDB
[Col. Soule DANKORO]; Rally for Democracy and Pan-Africanism or RDP
[Dominique HOYMINOU, Dr. Giles Auguste MINONTIN]; Renaissance Party
du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance
E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union for National Democracy and Solidarity
or UDS [Adamou N'Diaye MAMA]
note: the Coalition of Democratic Forces is an alliance of parties
and organizations supporting President KEREKOU [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WADB, WADB (regional),
WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Lucien Edgar TONOUKOUIN
chancery: 2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Pamela E. BRIDGEWATER
embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
mailing address: B. P. 2012, Cotonou
telephone: [229] 30-06-50, 30-05-13, 30-17-92
FAX: [229] 30-14-39, 30-19-74
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red
with a vertical green band on the hoist side
Benin Economy
Economy - overview: The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and
dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and
regional trade. Growth in real output averaged a sound 5% in
1996-99, but a rapid population rise offset much of this growth.
Inflation has subsided over the past several years. Commercial and
transport activities, which make up a large part of GDP, are
vulnerable to developments in Nigeria, particularly fuel shortages.
The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt
situation in recent years. While high fuel prices constrained growth
in 2000, increased cotton production - enabled by a major
restructuring program - and an expansion of the Cotonou port, may
lead to increased growth in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.6 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,030 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 37.9%
industry: 13.5%
services: 48.6% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 37.2% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $299 million
expenditures: $445 million, including capital expenditures of $14
million (1995 est.)
Industries: textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction
materials, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate: 6.9% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 226 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 24.78%
hydro: 75.22%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 510.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 300 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams,
beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock
Exports: $396 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners: Brazil 14%, Libya 5%, Indonesia 4%, Italy 4%
(1999)
Imports: $566 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products,
capital goods
Imports - partners: France 38%, China 16%, UK 9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5%
(1999)
Debt - external: $1.6 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $274.6 million (1997)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Benin Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 36,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,295 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 620,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (one privately-owned) (1997)
Televisions: 60,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bj
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 10,000 (2000)
Benin Transportation
Railways: total: 578 km (single track)
narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 6,787 km
paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,430 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: streams navigable along small sections, important only
locally
Ports and harbors: Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Benin Military
Military branches: Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force),
National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,455,433
females age 15-49: 1,489,947
note: both sexes are liable for military service (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
743,980
females age 15-49: 755,149 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 70,088
females: 73,618 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $27 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY96)
Benin Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics associated with
Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for
Western Europe and the US
======================================================================
@Bermuda
Bermuda Introduction
Background: Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English
colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North
American winters first developed in Victorian times. Bermuda has
developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. A
referendum on independence was soundly defeated in 1995.
Bermuda Geography
Location: North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic
Ocean, east of North Carolina (US)
Geographic coordinates: 32 20 N, 64 45 W
Map references: North America
Area: total: 58.8 sq km
land: 58.8 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 103 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in
winter
Terrain: low hills separated by fertile depressions
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m
Natural resources: limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism
Land use: arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 94% (55% developed, 39% rural/open space) (1997 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes (June to November)
Environment - current issues: asbestos disposal; water pollution;
preservation of open space
Geography - note: consists of about 360 small coral islands with
ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land,
reclaimed and otherwise, was leased by US Government from 1941 to
1995
Bermuda People
Population: 63,503 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.4% (male 6,091; female 6,230)
15-64 years: 69.43% (male 21,783; female 22,309)
65 years and over: 11.17% (male 3,073; female 4,017) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.74% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 0.94 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.12 years
male: 75.04 years
female: 79.06 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian
Ethnic groups: black 58%, white 36%, other 6%
Religions: non-Anglican Protestant 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic
15%, other 19%
Languages: English (official), Portuguese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99% (1970 est.)
Bermuda Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda
former: Somers Islands
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: parliamentary British overseas territory with
internal self-government
Capital: Hamilton
Administrative divisions: 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*;
Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*,
Saint Georges, Sandys, Smiths, Southampton, Warwick
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Bermuda Day, 24 May
Constitution: 8 June 1968, amended 1989
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor Thorold MASEFIELD (since NA
June 1997)
head of government: Premier Jennifer SMITH (since 10 November 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; governor invites leader of largest party in Parliament
to form a government as premier
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an
11-member body appointed by the governor) and the House of Assembly
(40 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 9 November 1998 (next to be held NA November
2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 54%, UBP 44%, NLP
1%, independents 1%; seats by party - PLP 26, UBP 14
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders: National Liberal Party or NLP
[Dessaline WALDRON]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Jennifer
SMITH]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Pamela GORDON]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Bermuda Industrial Union or
BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Association or BPSA
[Betty CHRISTOPHER]
International organization participation: Caricom (observer), CCC,
ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul
General Lawrence D. OWEN
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire,
Hamilton
mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate
General Hamilton, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-5300
telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342
FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592
Flag description: red, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green
shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking
of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer
half of the flag
Bermuda Economy
Economy - overview: Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita
incomes in the world, having successfully exploited its location by
providing financial services for international firms and luxury
tourist facilities for 360,000 visitors annually. The tourist
industry, which accounts for an estimated 28% of GDP, attracts 84%
of its business from North America. The industrial sector is small,
and agriculture is severely limited by a lack of suitable land.
About 80% of food needs are imported. International business
contributes over 60% of Bermuda's economic output; a failed
independence vote in late 1995 can be partially attributed to
Bermudian fears of scaring away foreign firms. Government economic
priorities are the further strengthening of the tourist and
international financial sectors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $33,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 10%
services: 89% (1995 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 35,296 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: clerical 23%, services 22%, laborers
17%, professional and technical 17%, administrative and managerial
12%, sales 7%, agriculture and fishing 2% (1996)
Unemployment rate: NEGL% (1995)
Budget: revenues: $504.6 million
expenditures: $537 million, including capital expenditures of $75
million (FY97/98)
Industries: tourism, finance, insurance, structural concrete
products, paints, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, ship repairing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 550 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 511.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy
products
Exports: $56 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: reexports of pharmaceuticals
Exports - partners: UK 29.5%, US 9.8% (1997)
Imports: $739 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals
Imports - partners: US 34%, UK 9%, Mexico 8% (1997)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $27.9 million (1995)
Currency: Bermudian dollar (BMD)
Currency code: BMD
Exchange rates: Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate
pegged to the US dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Bermuda Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 52,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 7,980 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: modern, fully automatic telephone system
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 82,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (1997)
Televisions: 66,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 20 (2000)
Internet users: 25,000 (2000)
Bermuda Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 225 km
paved: 225 km
unpaved: 0 km
note: in addition, there are 232 km of paved and unpaved roads that
are privately owned (1997)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Hamilton, Saint George
Merchant marine: total: 105 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
5,836,538 GRT/9,728,045 DWT
ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 4, container 15, liquefied gas 7,
passenger 2, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 16, roll
on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Canada 10, Hong Kong 10, Japan 1, Nigeria 4, Saudi
Arabia 1, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, UK 10, US 7 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Bermuda Military
Military branches: Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda Police Force, Bermuda
Reserve Constabulary
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Bermuda Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Bhutan
Bhutan Introduction
Background: Under British influence a monarchy was set up in 1907;
three years later a treaty was signed whereby the country became a
British protectorate. Independence was attained in 1949, with India
subsequently guiding foreign relations and supplying aid. A refugee
issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of
these displaced persons are housed in seven United Nations Office of
the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. Maoist Assamese
separatists from India, who have established themselves in the
southeast portion of Bhutan, have drawn Indian cross-border
incursions.
Bhutan Geography
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates: 27 30 N, 90 30 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 47,000 sq km
land: 47,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about half the size of Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 1,075 km
border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot
summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in
Himalayas
Terrain: mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Drangme Chhu 97 m
highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide
Land use: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 66%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 340 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are
the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the
Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season
Environment - current issues: soil erosion; limited access to
potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and
India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes
Bhutan People
Population: 2,049,412 (July 2001 est.)
note: other estimates range as low as 800,000
Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.99% (male 424,832; female 394,725)
15-64 years: 56.05% (male 591,152; female 557,498)
65 years and over: 3.96% (male 41,125; female 40,080) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.17% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 35.73 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.03 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 108.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 52.79 years
male: 53.16 years
female: 52.41 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.07 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Bhutanese
Ethnic groups: Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant
tribes 15%
Religions: Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced
Hinduism 25%
Languages: Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan
dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.2%
male: 56.2%
female: 28.1% (1995 est.)
Bhutan Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan
conventional short form: Bhutan
Government type: monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Capital: Thimphu
Administrative divisions: 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and
plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi,
Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar,
Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
note: there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse
Independence: 8 August 1949 (from India)
National holiday: National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first
hereditary king), 17 December (1907)
Constitution: no written constitution or bill of rights; note -
Bhutan uses 1953 Royal decree for the Constitution of the National
Assembly; on 7 July 1998, a Royal edict was ratified giving the
National Assembly additional powers
Legal system: based on Indian law and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: each family has one vote in village-level elections
Executive branch: chief of state: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK
(since 24 July 1972)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sangay
NGEDUP (since NA 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the
monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed,
five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council
(Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms
in July 1998 give the National Assembly authority to remove the
monarch with two-thirds vote
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150
seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent
religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent
government and other secular interests; members serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court
(judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders: no legal parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Buddhist clergy; ethnic
Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign;
Indian merchant community; United Front for Democracy (exiled)
International organization participation: AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer),
ITU, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Bhutan has a
Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th
Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; the
Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US and Bhutan have no
formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained
between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India)
Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side
corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is
orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white
dragon facing away from the hoist side
Bhutan Economy
Economy - overview: The economy, one of the world's smallest and
least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide
the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture
consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged
mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and
other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely
aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links. The
industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production
of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as
road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower
potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. The
Bhutanese Government has made some progress in expanding the
nation's productive base and improving social welfare. Model
education, social, and environment programs in Bhutan are underway
with support from multilateral development organizations. Each
economic program takes into account the government's desire to
protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. Detailed
controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing,
trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38%
industry: 37%
services: 25% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
note: massive lack of skilled labor
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry
and commerce 2%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $146 million
expenditures: $152 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY95/96 est.)
note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of
Bhutan's budget expenditures
Industries: cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic
beverages, calcium carbide
Industrial production growth rate: 9.3% (1996 est.)
Electricity - production: 1.856 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.05%
hydro: 99.95%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 191.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 1.55 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 15 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains;
dairy products, eggs
Exports: $154 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts,
cement, fruit, electricity (to India), precious stones, spices
Exports - partners: India 94%, Bangladesh
Imports: $269 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and
parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice
Imports - partners: India 77%, Japan, UK, Germany, US
Debt - external: $120 million (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $73.8 million (1995)
Currency: ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR)
Currency code: BTN; INR
Exchange rates: ngultrum per US dollar - 46.540 (January 2001),
44.942 (2000), 43.055 (1999), 41.259 (1998), 36.313 (1997), 35.433
(1996); note - the Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian
rupee which is also legal tender
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Bhutan Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 6,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: domestic telephone service is very poor with few
telephones in use
international: international telephone and telegraph service is by
landline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 37,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: 11,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Bhutan Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 3,285 km
paved: 1,994 km
unpaved: 1,291 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Bhutan Military
Military branches: Royal Bhutan Army, National Militia, Royal Bhutan
Police, Royal Body Guards, Forest Guards (paramilitary)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 504,342 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
269,251 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 21,167
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Bhutan Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: refugee issue over the presence in Nepal
of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
camps
======================================================================
@Bolivia
Bolivia Introduction
Background: Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR,
broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history
has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups.
Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in the 1980s,
but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty,
social unrest, and drug production. Current goals include attracting
foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, continuing
the privatization program, and waging an anti-corruption campaign.
Bolivia Geography
Location: Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Geographic coordinates: 17 00 S, 65 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 1,098,580 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km
water: 14,190 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of
Montana
Land boundaries: total: 6,743 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km,
Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and
semiarid
Terrain: rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),
hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
Natural resources: tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten,
antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 53%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding in the northeast (March-April)
Environment - current issues: the clearing of land for agricultural
purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are
contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and
poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture);
desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water
supplies used for drinking and irrigation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography - note: landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca,
world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
Bolivia People
Population: 8,300,463 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.46% (male 1,626,698; female 1,565,748)
15-64 years: 57.07% (male 2,315,098; female 2,421,987)
65 years and over: 4.47% (male 166,986; female 203,946) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.76% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 27.27 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 58.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.06 years
male: 61.53 years
female: 66.72 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.51 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,200 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 380 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bolivian(s)
adjective: Bolivian
Ethnic groups: Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, mestizo (mixed white and
Amerindian ancestry) 30%, white 15%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.1%
male: 90.5%
female: 76% (1995 est.)
Bolivia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local long form: Republica de Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia
Government type: republic
Capital: La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat
of judiciary)
Administrative divisions: 9 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando,
Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence: 6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution: 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994
Legal system: based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21
years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Hugo BANZER Suarez
(since 6 August 1997); Vice President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez
(since 6 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Hugo BANZER Suarez (since 6 August
1997); Vice President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez (since 6 August
1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 1 June 1997
(next to be held May or June 2002)
election results: Hugo BANZER Suarez elected president; percent of
vote - Hugo BANZER Suarez (ADN) 22%; Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) 17%,
Juan Carlos DURAN (MNR) 18%, Ivo KULJIS (UCS) 16%, Remedios LOZA
(CONDEPA) 17%; no candidate received a majority of the popular vote;
Hugo BANZER Suarez won a congressional runoff election on 5 August
1997 after forming a "megacoalition" with MIR, UCS, CONDEPA, NFR,
and PDC
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats;
members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats;
members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms; note - some members are drawn from party lists, thus not
directly elected)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held
1 June 1997 (next to be held NA June 2002)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - ADN 11, MIR 7, MNR 4, CONDEPA 3, UCS 2;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- ADN 32, MNR 26, MIR 23, UCS 21, CONDEPA 19, MBL 5, IU 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed
for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in
each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[leader NA]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ];
Conscience of the Fatherland or CONDEPA [Remedios LOZA Alvarado];
Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Antonio ARANIBAR]; Movement of the
Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora]; Nationalist Democratic
Action or ADN [Hugo BANZER Suarez]; Nationalist Revolutionary
Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New Republican Force or
NFR [leader NA]; Pachacuti Indigenous Movement [Filipe QUISPE];
United Left or IU [Marcos DOMIC]
note: the ADN, MIR, and UCS comprise the ruling coalition
Political pressure groups and leaders: Cocalero Groups; indigenous
organizations; labor unions
International organization participation: CAN, CCC, ECLAC, FAO,
G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA,
Mercosur (associate), MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Marlene FERNANDEZ del Granado
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San
Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
V. Manuel ROCHA
embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz
mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
telephone: [591] (2) 432254
FAX: [591] (2) 433854
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow,
and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar
to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star
centered in the yellow band
Bolivia Economy
Economy - overview: Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least
developed Latin American countries, has made considerable progress
toward the development of a market-oriented economy. Successes under
President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA (1993-97) included the signing of a free
trade agreement with Mexico and joining the Southern Cone Common
Market (Mercosur), as well as the privatization of the state
airline, telephone company, railroad, electric power company, and
oil company. His successor, Hugo BANZER Suarez has tried to further
improve the country's investment climate with an anticorruption
campaign. Growth slowed in 1999, in part due to tight government
budget policies, which limited needed appropriations for
anti-poverty programs, and the fallout from the Asian financial
crisis. In 2000, major civil disturbances in April, and again in
September and October, held down overall growth to 2.5%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $20.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16%
industry: 31%
services: 53% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 70% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.3%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.5 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 11.4% (1997)
note: widespread underemployment
Budget: revenues: $2.7 billion
expenditures: $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998)
Industries: mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages,
tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1995 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.625 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 56.61%
hydro: 41.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.79% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 3.377 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 10 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn,
sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
Exports: $1.26 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood
Exports - partners: UK 16%, US 12%, Peru 11%, Argentina 10%,
Colombia 7% (1998)
Imports: $1.86 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, raw materials and
semi-manufactures, chemicals, petroleum, food
Imports - partners: US 32%, Japan 24%, Brazil 12%, Argentina 12%,
Chile 7%, Peru 4%, Germany 3%, other 6% (1998)
Debt - external: $6.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $588 million (1997)
Currency: boliviano (BOB)
Currency code: BOB
Exchange rates: bolivianos per US dollar - 6.4071 (January 2001),
6.1835 (2000), 5.8124 (1999), 5.5101 (1998), 5.2543 (1997), 5.0746
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Bolivia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 327,600 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 116,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: new subscribers face
bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La
Paz and other cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly
domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs
digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic
cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)
Radios: 5.25 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 48 (1997)
Televisions: 900,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2000)
Internet users: 35,000 (2000)
Bolivia Transportation
Railways: total: 3,691 km (single track)
narrow gauge: 3,652 km 1.000-m gauge; 39 km 0.760-m gauge (13 km
electrified) (1995)
Highways: total: 49,400 km
paved: 2,500 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 46,900 km (1996)
Waterways: 10,000 km (commercially navigable)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,800 km; petroleum products 580 km; natural
gas 1,495 km
Ports and harbors: none; however, Bolivia has free port privileges
in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Merchant marine: total: 42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
141,017 GRT/211,058 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 20, chemical tanker 3, container 1,
petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1,093 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 13
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,080
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 65
914 to 1,523 m: 212
under 914 m: 800 (2000 est.)
Bolivia Military
Military branches: Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval
Boliviana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana),
National Police Force (Policia Nacional de Bolivia)
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,005,660 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,306,452 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 90,120
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $147 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (FY99)
Bolivia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: has wanted a sovereign corridor to the
South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in
1884; dispute with Chile over Rio Lauca water rights
Illicit drugs: world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after
Colombia and Peru, a distant second) with an estimated 14,600
hectares under cultivation in 2000, a 33% decrease in overall
cultivation of coca from 1999 levels; intermediate coca products and
cocaine exported to or through Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and
Chile to the US and other international drug markets; eradication
and alternative crop programs have slashed illicit coca cultivation
during the BANZER administration beginning in 1997
======================================================================
@Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina Introduction
Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in
October 1991, was followed by a referendum for independence from the
former Yugoslavia in February 1992. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by
neighboring Serbia - responded with armed resistance aimed at
partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held
areas to form a "greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats
reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing
an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring
parties signed a peace agreement that brought to a halt the three
years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in
Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Agreement retained Bosnia and
Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a joint
multi-ethnic and democratic government. This national government is
charged with conducting foreign, economic, and fiscal policy. Also
recognized was a second tier of government comprised of two entities
roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The
Federation and RS governments are charged with overseeing internal
functions. In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force
(IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor
the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a
smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission is to
deter renewed hostilities. SFOR remains in place at a level of
approximately 21,000 troops.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
Geographic coordinates: 44 00 N, 18 00 E
Map references: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe
Area: total: 51,129 sq km
land: 51,129 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 1,459 km
border countries: Croatia 932 km, Yugoslavia 527 km
Coastline: 20 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have
short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters
along coast
Terrain: mountains and valleys
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maglic 2,386 m
Natural resources: coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper,
chromium, lead, zinc, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues: air pollution from metallurgical
plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; water
shortages and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95
civil strife
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized
borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat
Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led
Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region
called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and traditionally has
been settled by an ethnic Croat majority
Bosnia and Herzegovina People
Population: 3,922,205
note: all data dealing with population are subject to considerable
error because of the dislocations caused by military action and
ethnic cleansing (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.13% (male 405,713; female 383,850)
15-64 years: 70.78% (male 1,422,796; female 1,353,410)
65 years and over: 9.09% (male 150,802; female 205,634) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.38% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.99 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 8.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.75 years
male: 69.04 years
female: 74.65 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.71 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian
Ethnic groups: Serb 31%, Bosniak 44%, Croat 17%, Yugoslav 5.5%,
other 2.5% (1991)
note: Bosniak has replaced muslim as an ethnic term in part to
avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam
Religions: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Protestant
4%, other 10%
Languages: Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form: none
local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina
Government type: emerging democracy
Capital: Sarajevo
Administrative divisions: there are two first-order administrative
divisions - the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika
Srpska; note - Brcko in northeastern Bosnia is a self-governing
administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
it is not part of either the Federation or Republika Srpska
Independence: 1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: National Day, 25 November (1943)
Constitution: the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995,
included a new constitution now in force
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Jozo
KRIZANOVI (chairman since 14 June 2001, presidency member since NA
March 2001 - Croat); other members of the three-member rotating
(every 8 months) presidency: Zivko RADISIC (since 13 October 1998 -
Serb) and Beriz BELKIC (since NA March 2001 - Bosniak); note - Ante
JELAVIC was dismissed from his post by the UN High Representative in
March 2001
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Zlatko
LAGUMDZIJA (since 18 July 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman;
approved by the National House of Representatives
elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one
Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
the member with the most votes becomes the chairman unless he or she
was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election; election
last held 12-13 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2002);
the chairman of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the
presidency and confirmed by the National House of Representatives
election results: percent of vote - Zivko RADISIC with 52% of the
Serb vote was elected chairman of the collective presidency for the
first 8 months; Ante JELAVIC with 52% of the Croat vote followed
RADISIC in the rotation; Alija IZETBEGOVIC with 87% of the Bosniak
vote won the highest number of votes in the election but was
ineligible to serve a second term until RADISIC and JELAVIC had each
served a first term as Chairman of the Presidency; IZETBEGOVIC
retired from the presidency 14 October 2000 and was temporarily
replaced by Halid GENJAC; Ante JELAVIC was replaced by Jozo
KRIZANOVIC in March 2001
note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Karlo
FILIPOVIC (since 27 February 2001); Vice President Safet HALILOVIC
(since 27 February 2001); note - president and vice president rotate
every year; President of the Republika Srpska: Mirko SAROVIC (since
11 November 2000)
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina
consists of the National House of Representatives or Predstavnicki
Dom (42 seats - 14 Serb, 14 Croat, and 14 Bosniak; members elected
by popular vote to serve two-year terms) and the House of Peoples or
Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members elected
by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the
Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve two-year terms); note
- as of 1 January 2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a
permanent election law; a draft law specifies four-year terms for
the state and first-order administrative division entity
legislatures; officials elected in 2000 were elected to two-year
terms on the presumption that a permanent law would be in place
before 2002
elections: National House of Representatives - elections last held
11 November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2002); House of
Peoples - last constituted after the 11 November 2000 elections
(next to be constituted in the fall of 2002)
election results: National House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDP 9, SDA
8, SDS 6, HDZ-BiH 5, SBH 5, PDP 2, NHI 1, BPS 1, DPS 1, SNS 1,
SNSD-DSP 1, DNZ 1, SPRS 1; House of Peoples - percent of vote by
party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - NA
note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that
consists of a House of Representatives (140 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 11
November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDA 38, SDP 37, HDZ-BiH 25, SBH 21,
DNZ 3, NHI 2, BPS 2, DPS 2, BOSS 2, GDS 1, RP 1, HSS 1, LDS 1,
Pensioners' Party of FBiH 1, SNSD-DSP 1, HKDU 1, HSP 1; and a House
of Peoples (74 seats - 30 Bosniak, 30 Croat, and 14 others); last
constituted November 2000; the Republika Srpska has a National
Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); elections last held 11 November 2000 (next to be
held NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party/coalition - SDS 31, PDP 11, SNSD 11, SDA 6, DSP 4, SDP 4, SPRS
4, SBH 4, DNS 3, SNS 2, NHI 1, DSRS 1, Pensioners' Party 1; as of 1
January 2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a permanent
election law; a draft law specifies four-year terms for the state
and first-order administrative division entity legislatures;
officials elected in 2000 were elected to two-year terms on the
presumption that a permanent law would be in place before 2002
Judicial branch: BiH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members:
four members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of
Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's National
Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of the
European Court of Human Rights)
note: a new state court, established in November 1999, has
jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law and appellate
jurisdiction over cases initiated in the entities; the entities each
have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a number of lower courts;
there are ten cantonal courts in the Federation, plus a number of
municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has five municipal courts
Political parties and leaders: Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes
AJANOVIC]; Bosnian Patriotic Party or BPS [Sefer HALILOVIC]; Civic
Democratic Party of BiH or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Christian
Democratic Union or HKDU BiH [Ante PASALIC]; Croatian Democratic
Union of BiH or HDZ-BiH [leader vacant]; Croatian Party of Rights or
HSP [Zdravko HRSTIC]; Croatian Peasants Party of BiH or HSS-BiH
[Ilija SIMIC]; Democratic Action Party or SDA [Alija IZETBEGOVIC];
Democratic National Alliance or DNS [Dragan KOSTIC]; Democratic
Party of Pensioners or DPS [Alojz KNEZOVIC]; Democratic Party of RS
or DSRS [Dragomir DUMIC]; Democratic Peoples Union or DNZ [Fikret
ABDIC]; Democratic Socialist Party or DSP [Nebojsa RADMANOVIC];
Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; New Croatian
Initiative or NHI [Kresimir ZUBAK]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina
or SBH [Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party of Democratic Progress or PDP
[Mladen IVANIC]; Party of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD
[Milorad DODIK]; Pensioners' Party of FBiH [Husein VOJNIKOVIC];
Pensioners' Party of SR [Stojan BOGOSAVAC]; Republican Party of BiH
or RP [Stjepan KLJUIC]; Serb Democratic Party or Serb Lands or SDS
[Dragan KALINIC]; Serb National Alliance (Serb People's Alliance) or
SNS [Biljana PLAVSIC]; Social Democratic Party BIH or SDP-BiH
[Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA]; Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS
[Zivko RADISIC]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS, CE (guest), CEI,
EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Igor DAVIDOVIC
chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Thomas J. MILLER
embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [387] (33) 445-700
FAX: [387] (33) 659-722
branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar
Flag description: a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side
with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of
the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full
five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the
hypotenuse of the triangle
Government - note: The Dayton Agreement, signed in Paris on 14
December 1995, retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's exterior border and
created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government. This
national government - based on proportional representation similar
to that which existed in the former socialist regime - is charged
with conducting foreign, economic, and fiscal policy. The Dayton
Agreement also recognized a second tier of government, comprised of
two entities - a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska (RS) - each
presiding over roughly one-half the territory. The Federation and RS
governments are charged with overseeing internal functions. The
Dayton Agreement established the Office of the High Representative
(OHR) to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the
agreement. About 250 international and 450 local staff members are
employed by the OHR.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Economy
Economy - overview: Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to The Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old
Yugoslav federation. Although agriculture is almost all in private
hands, farms are small and inefficient, and the republic
traditionally is a net importer of food. Industry has been greatly
overstaffed, one reflection of the socialist economic structure of
Yugoslavia. TITO had pushed the development of military industries
in the republic with the result that Bosnia hosted a large share of
Yugoslavia's defense plants. The bitter interethnic warfare in
Bosnia caused production to plummet by 80% from 1990 to 1995,
unemployment to soar, and human misery to multiply. With an uneasy
peace in place, output recovered in 1996-98 at high percentage rates
from a low base; but output growth slowed appreciably in 1999 and
2000, and GDP remains far below the 1990 level. Economic data are of
limited use because, although both entities issue figures,
national-level statistics are not available. Moreover, official data
do not capture the large share of activity that occurs on the black
market. The marka - the national currency introduced in 1998 - has
gained wide acceptance, and the Central Bank of Bosnia and
Herzegovina has dramatically increased its reserve holdings.
Implementation of privatization, however, has been slower than
anticipated. Banking reform accelerated in early 2001 as all the
communist-era payments bureaus were shut down. The country receives
substantial amounts of reconstruction assistance and humanitarian
aid from the international community but will have to prepare for an
era of declining assistance.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.5 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19%
industry: 23%
services: 58% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.026 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 35%-40% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.9 billion
expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite,
vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank
and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining
Industrial production growth rate: 10% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 2.585 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 38.68%
hydro: 61.32%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 2.684 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 150 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 430 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock
Exports: $950 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: NA
Exports - partners: Croatia, Switzerland, Italy, Germany
Imports: $2.45 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: NA
Imports - partners: Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Italy
Debt - external: $3.4 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $1 billion (1999 est.)
Currency: marka (BAM)
Currency code: BAM
Exchange rates: marka per US dollar - 2.086 (January 2001), 2.124
(2000), 1.837 (1999), 1.760 (1998), 1.734 (1997), 0.015 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Bosnia and Herzegovina Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 303,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 9,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone and telegraph
network is in need of modernization and expansion; many urban areas
are below average when compared with services in other former
Yugoslav republics
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 940,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 33 (plus 277 repeaters) (September
1995)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .ba
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 3,500 (2000)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Transportation
Railways: total: 1,021 km (electrified 795 km; operating as diesel
or steam until grids are repaired)
standard gauge: 1,021 km 1.435-m gauge; note - many segments still
need repair and/or reconstruction (2000)
Highways: total: 21,846 km
paved: 14,020 km
unpaved: 7,826 km
note: road system is in need of maintenance and repair (2001)
Waterways: NA km; large sections of the Sava blocked by downed
bridges, silt, and debris
Pipelines: crude oil 174 km; natural gas 90 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac,
and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 28 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 4 (2000 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Military
Military branches: Federation Army or VF (composed of both Croatian
and Bosniak elements), Republika Srpska Army or VRS (composed of
Bosnian Serb elements); note - within both of these forces air and
air defense are subordinate commands
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,127,146 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
895,780 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 29,757
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: minor transit point for marijuana and opiate
trafficking routes to Western Europe
======================================================================
@Botswana
Botswana Introduction
Background: Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland,
Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The
economy, one of the most robust on the continent, is dominated by
diamond mining.
Botswana Geography
Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km
water: 15,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe
813 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari
Desert in southwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and
Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash,
coal, iron ore, silver
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 47%
other: 6% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from
the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can
obscure visibility
Environment - current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited
fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern
part of the country
Botswana People
Population: 1,586,119
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.3% (male 321,164; female 318,007)
15-64 years: 55.56% (male 423,954; female 457,227)
65 years and over: 4.14% (male 26,691; female 39,076) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.47% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 28.85 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 24.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 63.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 37.13 years
male: 36.77 years
female: 37.51 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 35.8% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 290,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 24,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Ethnic groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%,
other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%
Languages: English (official), Setswana
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.8%
male: 80.5%
female: 59.9% (1995 est.)
Botswana Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana
former: Bechuanaland
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: Gaborone
Administrative divisions: 10 districts and four town councils*;
Central, Chobe, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi,
Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Ngamiland, North-East, Selebi-Pikwe*,
South-East, Southern
Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 September (1966)
Constitution: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law;
judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Festus MOGAE (since 1
April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July
1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and
Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held
NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - 54.3%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of
Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs
of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three
members selected by the other 12) and the National Assembly (44
seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4
appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly elections last held 16 October 1999
(next to be held NA October 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 57.2%, BNF 26%,
other 16.8%; seats by party - BDP 33, BNF 6, other 1
Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts
(one in each district)
Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party or BDP
[Festus MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Kenneth KOMA];
Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Michael DINGAKE]; Botswana Alliance
Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]
note: main parties are: BDP, BNF, BCP; other minor parties joined
forces in 1999 to form the Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM
[Ephraim SETSHWAELO, chairman] but did not capture any parliamentary
seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu
SETSHWAELO], the Botswana Peoples Party, the Independence Freedom
Party [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K.
KWELE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kgosi SEEPAPITSO IV
chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John E. LANGE
embassy: address NA, Gaborone
mailing address: P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
telephone: [267] 353982
FAX: [267] 356947
Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black
stripe in the center
Botswana Economy
Economy - overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's
highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal
discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself
from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income
country with a per capita GDP of $6,600 in 2000. Diamond mining has
fueled much of Botswana's economic expansion and currently accounts
for more than one-third of GDP and for three-fourths of export
earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other
key sectors. The government must deal with high rates of
unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 19%, but
unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection
rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's
impressive economic gains.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 46% (including 36% mining)
services: 50% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 47% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 235,000 formal sector employees (1995)
Labor force - by occupation: 100,000 public sector; 135,000 private
sector, including 14,300 who are employed in various mines in South
Africa; most others engaged in cattle raising and subsistence
agriculture (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 40% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.6 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $560
million (FY96)
Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash;
livestock processing
Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 610 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.517 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 950 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sorghum, corn, millet, pulses, groundnuts
(peanuts), beans, cowpeas, sunflower seed; livestock
Exports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds 72%, vehicles, copper, nickel, meat
(1998)
Exports - partners: EU 77%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
18%, Zimbabwe 3% (1998)
Imports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport
equipment, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 76%,
Europe 10%, South Korea 5% (1998)
Debt - external: $455 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $73 million (1995)
Currency: pula (BWP)
Currency code: BWP
Exchange rates: pulas per US dollar - 5.4585 (January 2001), 5.1018
(2000), 4.6244 (1999), 4.2259 (1998), 3.6508 (1997), 3.3242 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Botswana Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 86,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: sparse system
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations
international: two international exchanges; digital microwave radio
relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 15, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 237,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: 31,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 12,000 (2000)
Botswana Transportation
Railways: total: 888 km
narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 18,482 km
paved: 4,343 km
unpaved: 14,139 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 92 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 81
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 56
under 914 m: 22 (2000 est.)
Botswana Military
Military branches: Botswana Defense Force (includes Army and Air
Wing), Botswana National Police
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 380,152 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
199,995 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 19,479
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $61 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99)
Botswana Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Bouvet Island
Bouvet Island Introduction
Background: This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely
covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered
in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named.
No claim was made until 1825 when the British flag was raised. In
1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied
the island the previous year. In 1971, Bouvet Island and the
adjacent territorial waters were designated a nature reserve. Since
1977, Norway has run an automated meteorological station on the
island.
Bouvet Island Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the South Atlantic Ocean,
south-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
Geographic coordinates: 54 26 S, 3 24 E
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area: total: 58.5 sq km
land: 58.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29.6 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 4 NM
Climate: antarctic
Terrain: volcanic; maximum elevation about 800 m; coast is mostly
inaccessible
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Olav Peak 935 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (93% ice)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve
Bouvet Island People
Population: uninhabited (July 2001 est.)
Bouvet Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bouvet Island
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered by the Polar
Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
Legal system: the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
Bouvet Island Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity; declared a nature reserve
Bouvet Island Communications
Internet country code: .bv
Communications - note: automatic meteorological station
Bouvet Island Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Bouvet Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
Bouvet Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Brazil
Brazil Introduction
Background: Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal,
Brazil became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and
most populous country in South America, Brazil has overcome more
than half a century of military intervention in the governance of
the country to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and
development of the interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a
large labor pool, Brazil became Latin America's leading economic
power by the 1970s. Highly unequal income distribution remains a
pressing problem.
Brazil Geography
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 55 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
water: 55,455 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas,
Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao
Paulo
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries: total: 14,691 km
border countries: Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia
1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km,
Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km
Coastline: 7,491 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains,
hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Land use: arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 58%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 28,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and
occasional frost in south
Environment - current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys
the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of plant and
animal species indigenous to the area; air and water pollution in
Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land
degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities
note: President CARDOSO in September 1999 signed into force an
environmental crime bill which for the first time defines pollution
and deforestation as crimes punishable by stiff fines and jail
sentences
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: largest country in South America; shares common
boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
Brazil People
Population: 174,468,575
note: Brazil took an intercensal count in August 1996 which
reported a population of 157,079,573; that figure was about 5% lower
than projections by the US Census Bureau, which is close to the
implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for
this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess
mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy,
higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex
than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.57% (male 25,390,039; female
24,449,902)
15-64 years: 65.98% (male 56,603,895; female 58,507,289)
65 years and over: 5.45% (male 3,857,564; female 5,659,886) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.91% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 18.45 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.34 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 36.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.24 years
male: 58.96 years
female: 67.73 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.57% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 540,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 18,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian
Ethnic groups: white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish,
Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes
Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.3%
male: 83.3%
female: 83.2% (1995 est.)
Brazil Government
Country name: conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
Government type: federative republic
Capital: Brasilia
Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and
1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa,
Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias,
Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para,
Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do
Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao
Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Constitution: 5 October 1988
Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;
compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age
Executive branch: chief of state: President Fernando Henrique
CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1
January 1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1
January 1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 4 October
1998 (next to be held NA October 2002)
election results: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO reelected president;
percent of vote - 53%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congresso
Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats;
three members from each state or federal district elected according
to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third
elected after a four year period, two-thirds elected after the next
four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos
Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Federal Senate - last held 4 October 1998 for one-third
of Senate (next to be held NA October 2002 for two-thirds of the
Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 4 October 1998 (next to be
held NA October 2002)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PMDB 27, PFL 20, PSDB 16, PT 7, PPB 5, PSB 3, PDT
2, PPS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PFL 106, PSDB 99, PMDB 82, PPB 60, PT 58, PTB 31,
PDT 25, PSB 19, PL 12, PCdoB 7, other 14
Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are
appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher
Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are
appointed for life)
Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party
or PMDB [Jader BARBALHO, president]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB
[Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB
[Teotonio VILELA Filno]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Miguel
ARRAES, president]; Brazilian Progressive Party or PPB [Paulo Salim
MALUF]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Sergio Roberto Gomes
SOUZA, chairman]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA,
president]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jorge BORNHAUSEN,
president]; Liberal Party or PL [Francisco Teixeira de OLIVEIRA];
Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Ciro GOMEZ, president]; Worker's
Party or PT [Jose DIRCEU, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: left wing of the Catholic
Church, Landless Worker's Movement, and labor unions allied to
leftist Worker's Party are critical of government's social and
economic policies
International organization participation: AfDB, BIS, CCC, ECLAC,
FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA,
Mercosur, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Rubens Antonio BARBOSA
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700
FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Anthony S. HARRINGTON
embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal
Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
telephone: [55] (061) 321-7272
FAX: [55] (061) 225-9136
consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulate(s): Recife
Flag description: green with a large yellow diamond in the center
bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one
for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same
pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white
equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)
Brazil Economy
Economy - overview: Possessing large and well-developed
agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's
economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is
expanding its presence in world markets. In the late eighties and
early nineties, high inflation hindered economic activity and
investment. "The Real Plan", instituted in the spring of 1994,
sought to break inflationary expectations by pegging the real to the
US dollar. Inflation was brought down to single digit annual
figures, but not fast enough to avoid substantial real exchange rate
appreciation during the transition phase of the "Real Plan". This
appreciation meant that Brazilian goods were now more expensive
relative to goods from other countries, which contributed to large
current account deficits. However, no shortage of foreign currency
ensued because of the financial community's renewed interest in
Brazilian markets as inflation rates stabilized and the debt crisis
of the eighties faded from memory. The maintenance of large current
account deficits via capital account surpluses became problematic as
investors became more risk averse to emerging market exposure as a
consequence of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the Russian
bond default in August 1998. After crafting a fiscal adjustment
program and pledging progress on structural reform, Brazil received
a $41.5 billion IMF-led international support program in November
1998. In January 1999, the Brazilian Central Bank announced that the
real would no longer be pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation
helped moderate the downturn in economic growth in 1999 that
investors had expressed concerns about over the summer of 1998.
Brazil's debt to GDP ratio for 1999 beat the IMF target and helped
reassure investors that Brazil will maintain tight fiscal and
monetary policy even with a floating currency. The economy continued
to recover in 2000, with inflation remaining in the single digits
and expected growth for 2001 of 4.5%. Foreign direct investment set
a record of more than $30 billion in 2000.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.13 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9%
industry: 29%
services: 62% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 17.4% (1990 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 47.6% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000)
Labor force: 79 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 53.2%, agriculture 23.1%,
industry 23.7%
Unemployment rate: 7.1% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $151 billion
expenditures: $149 billion, including capital expenditures of $36
billion (1998)
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore,
tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and
equipment
Industrial production growth rate: 6.9% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 337.44 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 5.28%
hydro: 90.66%
nuclear: 1.12%
other: 2.94% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 353.674 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 39.86 billion kWh
note: supplied by Paraguay (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn,
sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Exports: $55.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: manufactures, iron ore, soybeans, footwear,
coffee
Exports - partners: US 23%, Argentina 11%, Germany 5%, Netherlands
5%, Japan 5% (1999)
Imports: $55.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemical products,
oil, electricity
Imports - partners: US 24%, Argentina 12%, Germany 10%, Japan 5%,
Italy 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $232 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: NA
Currency: real (BRL)
Currency code: BRL
Exchange rates: reals per US dollar - 1.954 (January 2001), 1.830
(2000), 1.815 (1999), 1.161 (1998), 1.078 (1997), 1.005 (1996)
note: from October 1994 through 14 January 1999, the official rate
was determined by a managed float; since 15 January 1999, the
official rate floats independently with respect to the US dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
Brazil Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 17.039 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.4 million (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations
- 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region
east), connected by microwave relay system to MERCOSUR Brazilsat B3
satellite earth station
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which
91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999)
Radios: 71 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 138 (1997)
Televisions: 36.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: .br
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2000)
Internet users: 8.65 million (2000)
Brazil Transportation
Railways: total: 30,539 km (2,129 km electrified); note - excludes
urban rail
broad gauge: 5,679 km 1.600-m gauge (1199 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
narrow gauge: 24,666 km 1.000-m gauge (930 km electrified)
dual gauge: 336 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (1999
est.)
Highways: total: 1.98 million km
paved: 184,140 km
unpaved: 1,795,860 km (1996)
Waterways: 50,000 km
Pipelines: crude oil 2,980 km; petroleum products 4,762 km; natural
gas 4,246 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus,
Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande,
Salvador, Santos, Vitoria
Merchant marine: total: 171 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
3,788,999 GRT/6,067,314 DWT
ships by type: bulk 33, cargo 26, chemical tanker 5, combination
ore/oil 9, container 12, liquefied gas 11, multi-functional
large-load carrier 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 56, roll
on/roll off 12, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 3,264 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 570
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 141
914 to 1,523 m: 370
under 914 m: 33 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2,694
1,524 to 2,437 m: 68
914 to 1,523 m: 1,279
under 914 m: 1,347 (2000 est.)
Brazil Military
Military branches: Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes naval
air and marines), Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 48,298,486 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
32,388,786 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males:
1,762,740 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $13.408 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY99)
Brazil Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: limited illicit producer of cannabis, minor coca
cultivation in the Amazon region, mostly used for domestic
consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to
control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian,
Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for the US and Europe; also
used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air
transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related
violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Bolivian,
Peruvian, and Colombian cocaine
======================================================================
@British Indian Ocean Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory Introduction
Background: Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number
of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were
transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976.
Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups
comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of
the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support
facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former
agricultural workers, earlier resident in the islands, were
relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between
1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the
local immigration order which had excluded them from the
archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
British Indian Ocean Territory Geography
Location: Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about
one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 71 30 E
Map references: World
Area: total: 60 sq km
land: 60 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 698 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in
elevation)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Natural resources: coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia,
largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in
central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
British Indian Ocean Territory People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in
the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois,
were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of
the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 1995, there were
approximately 1,700 UK and US military personnel and 1,500 civilian
contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia
British Indian Ocean Territory Government
Country name: conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: BIOT
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; administered by a
commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in
London
Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner John WHITE (since NA);
Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK
cabinet: NA
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and
administrator appointed by the monarch
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the
flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped
section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer
half of the flag
British Indian Ocean Territory Economy
Economy - overview: All economic activity is concentrated on the
largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities
are located. Construction projects and various services needed to
support the military installations are done by military and contract
employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There
are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When
the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and
fishing.
Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the
US military
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
British Indian Ocean Territory Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: separate facilities for
military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available,
including connection to the Internet
international: international telephone service is carried by
satellite (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .io
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
British Indian Ocean Territory Transportation
Highways: total: NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and
airfield on Diego Garcia
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Diego Garcia
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
British Indian Ocean Territory Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US
lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
British Indian Ocean Territory Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: the Chagos Archipelago is claimed by
Mauritius and Seychelles
======================================================================
@British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands Introduction
Background: First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were
soon after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy is closely
tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west;
the US dollar is the legal currency.
British Virgin Islands Geography
Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 150 sq km
land: 150 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 33%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources
(except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of
the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment)
Geography - note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico
British Virgin Islands People
Population: 20,812 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339)
15-64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309)
65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.22% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 11.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.64 years
male: 74.74 years
female: 76.59 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander
Ethnic groups: black 90%, white, Asian
Religions: Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of
God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses
2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981)
Languages: English (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
British Virgin Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Road Town
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Territory Day, 1 July
Constitution: 1 June 1977
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA)
head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May
1995)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members
of the Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the
members of the Legislative Council
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of
9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the
High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the
Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the
High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary
Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM
[Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH];
United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP
[Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB,
ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate),
UNESCO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in
the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked
on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll
bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
British Virgin Islands Economy
Economy - overview: The economy, one of the most stable and
prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which
generates an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated
350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997.
In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore
registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and
incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. An estimated
250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. The
adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which
provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory
gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make
the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international
business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural
activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic
food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US
Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as
its currency since 1959.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2%
services: 92% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000)
Labor force: 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)
Budget: revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)
Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete
block, offshore financial center
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1985)
Electricity - production: 42 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 39.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Exports: $6.2 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Imports: $220 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs,
machinery
Imports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Debt - external: $36.1 million (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: $2.6 million (1995)
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
British Virgin Islands Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA
international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 9,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .vg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: NA
British Virgin Islands Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 132 km
paved: 132 km
unpaved: 0 km (1997)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Road Town
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285
GRT/6,946 DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
British Virgin Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
British Virgin Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics
destined for the US and Europe
======================================================================
@Brunei
Brunei Introduction
Background: The Sultanate of Brunei's heyday occurred between the
15th and 17th centuries, when its control extended over coastal
areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei
subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal
strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers,
and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate;
independence was achieved in 1984. Brunei benefits from extensive
petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest
per capita GDPs in the less developed countries. The same family has
now ruled in Brunei for over six centuries.
Brunei Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and
Malaysia
Geographic coordinates: 4 30 N, 114 40 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 5,770 sq km
land: 5,270 sq km
water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries: total: 381 km
border countries: Malaysia 381 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM or to median line
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy
Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly
lowland in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 85%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very
rare
Environment - current issues: seasonal smoke/haze resulting from
forest fires in Indonesia
Environment - international agreements: party to: Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea
linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by
Malaysia; almost an enclave of Malaysia
Brunei People
Population: 343,653 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.77% (male 53,977; female 51,772)
15-64 years: 66.52% (male 121,601; female 107,007)
65 years and over: 2.71% (male 4,449; female 4,847) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.11% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 20.45 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 3.38 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.82 years
male: 71.45 years
female: 76.31 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Bruneian(s)
adjective: Bruneian
Ethnic groups: Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12%
Religions: Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%,
indigenous beliefs and other 10%
Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.2%
male: 92.6%
female: 83.4% (1995 est.)
Brunei Government
Country name: conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam
conventional short form: Brunei
Government type: constitutional sultanate
Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan
Administrative divisions: 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular -
daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong
Independence: 1 January 1984 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January
1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was
the date of independence from British protection
Constitution: 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a
State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on
1 January 1984)
Legal system: based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic
Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir
HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both
the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah
(since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of
state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over
by the monarch; deals with executive matters; note - there is also a
Religious Council (members appointed by the monarch) that advises on
religious matters, a Privy Council (members appointed by the
monarch) that deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of
Succession (members appointed by the monarch) that determines the
succession to the throne if the need arises
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or Majlis
Masyuarat Megeri (a privy council that serves only in a consultative
capacity; NA seats; members appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held in March 1962
note: in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by
decree of the monarch; an elected Legislative Council is being
considered as part of constitutional reform, but elections are
unlikely for several years
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice and judges are sworn
in by the monarch for three-year terms)
Political parties and leaders: Brunei Solidarity National Party or
PPKB in Malay [Haji Mohd HATTA bin Haji Zainal Abidin, president];
the PPKB is the only legal political party in Brunei; it was
registered in 1985, but became largely inactive after 1988, it was
revived in 1995 and again in 1998; it has less than 200 registered
party members; other parties include Brunei People's Party or PRB
(banned in 1962) and Brunei National Democratic Party (registered in
May 1965, deregistered by the Brunei Government in 1988)
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: APEC, ARF, ASEAN, C, CCC,
ESCAP, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Pengiran Anak Dato Haji PUTEH Ibni Mohammad Alam
chancery: 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 342-0159
FAX: [1] (202) 342-0158
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Sylvia Gaye STANFIELD
embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri
Begawan
mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507
telephone: [673] (2) 229670
FAX: [673] (2) 225293
Flag description: yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top,
almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side;
the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem
includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an
upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands
Brunei Economy
Economy - overview: This small, wealthy economy is a mixture of
foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation and
welfare measures, and village tradition. Exports of crude oil and
natural gas account for over half of GDP. Per capita GDP is far
above most other Third World countries, and substantial income from
overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The
government provides for all medical services and subsidizes rice and
housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased
integration in the world economy will undermine internal social
cohesion although it became a more prominent player by serving as
chairman for the 2000 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation)
forum. Plans for the future include upgrading the labor force,
reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourist
sectors, and, in general, a further widening of the economic base
beyond oil and gas.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 46%
services: 49% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 144,000 (1995 est.); note - includes foreign workers
and military personnel
note: temporary residents make up 41% of labor force (1991)
Labor force - by occupation: government 48%, production of oil,
natural gas, services, and construction 42%, agriculture, forestry,
and fishing 10% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.9% (1995 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.5 billion
expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.35
billion (1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas,
construction
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 2.445 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 2.274 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, vegetables, fruits, chickens, water
buffalo
Exports: $2.55 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil, natural gas, refined products
Exports - partners: Japan 42%, US 17%, South Korea 14%, Thailand 3%
(1999)
Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactured goods, food, chemicals
Imports - partners: Singapore 34%, UK 15%, Malaysia 15%, US 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $0
Economic aid - recipient: $4.3 million (1995)
Currency: Bruneian dollar (BND)
Currency code: BND
Exchange rates: Bruneian dollars per US dollar - 1.7365 (January
2001), 1.7240 (2000), 1.6950 (1999), 1.6736 (1998), 1.4848 (1997),
1.4100 (1996); note - the Bruneian dollar is at par with the
Singapore dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
Brunei Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 79,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 43,524 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: service throughout country is
excellent; international service good to Europe, US, and East Asia
domestic: every service available
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to
Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines (2001)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 329,000 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: 201,900 (1998)
Internet country code: .bn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 28,000 (2001)
Brunei Transportation
Railways: total: 13 km (private line)
narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge
Highways: total: 1,712 km
paved: 1,284 km
unpaved: 428 km (1996)
Waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m
Pipelines: crude oil 135 km; petroleum products 418 km; natural gas
920 km
Ports and harbors: Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Muara, Seria,
Tutong
Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
348,476 GRT/340,635 DWT
ships by type: liquefied gas 7 (2000 est.)
Airports: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 3 (2000 est.)
Brunei Military
Military branches: Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Royal Brunei Police
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 106,725 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
61,640 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 3,005
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $343 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.1% (FY98)
Brunei Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: possibly involved in a complex dispute
over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan,
and Vietnam; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone
that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands, but
has not publicly claimed the island
Illicit drugs: drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled
substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory
death penalty
======================================================================
@Bulgaria
Bulgaria Introduction
Background: Bulgaria earned its independence from the Ottoman Empire
in 1878, but having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, it
fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's
Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria
held its first multi-party election since World War II and began the
contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a
market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption,
and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a
path toward eventual integration into NATO and the EU - with which
it began accession negotiations in 2000.
Bulgaria Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between
Romania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 110,910 sq km
land: 110,550 sq km
water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total: 1,808 km
border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Yugoslavia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Coastline: 354 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable
land
Land use: arable land: 43%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 3% (1999 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,370 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes, landslides
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial
emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals,
detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and
resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from
metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls
key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Bulgaria People
Population: 7,707,495 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.11% (male 597,765; female 567,030)
15-64 years: 68.17% (male 2,588,805; female 2,665,736)
65 years and over: 16.72% (male 543,665; female 744,494) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -1.14% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 8.06 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.2 years
male: 67.72 years
female: 74.89 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.13 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bulgarian(s)
adjective: Bulgarian
Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 83%, Turk 8.5%, Roma 2.6%, Macedonian,
Armenian, Tatar, Gagauz, Circassian, others (1998)
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 83.5%, Muslim 13%, Roman Catholic
1.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Jewish 0.8%, Protestant,
Gregorian-Armenian, and other 1% (1998)
Languages: Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to
ethnic breakdown
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1999)
Bulgaria Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Sofia
Administrative divisions: 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast);
Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali,
Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv,
Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya,
Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo,
Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Independence: 3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991
Legal system: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Petar STOYANOV (since
22 January 1997); Vice President Todor KAVALDZHIEV (since 22 January
1997)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime
Minister) Ivan KOSTOV (since 19 May 1997); Deputy Prime Minister
Petur ZHOTEV (since 21 December 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 27 October
and 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); chairman of the
Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president;
deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister
election results: Petar STOYANOV elected president; percent of vote
- Petar STOYANOV 59.73%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie
(240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
National Movement for Simeon II 120, UDF 51, BSP 48, DPS 21
Judicial branch: Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of
Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected
for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the
chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22
other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors,
and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the
Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by
the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for National Salvation or
ANS (coalition led mainly by Movement for Rights and Freedoms or
MRF) [Ahmed DOGAN]; Bulgarian Business Bloc or BBB [Georgi GANCHEV];
Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Georgi PURVANOV, chairman];
Democratic Left or DL (bloc led by BSP, includes Ecoglasnost
Political Club and Bulgarian Agrarian National Union) [leader NA];
Euro-left [Aleksandur TOMOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization or UMRO [Aleksander KARAKACHNOV]; Kingdom of Bulgaria
Federation [leader NA]; Movement for Rights and Freedom or DPS
[Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II [Simeon II, former
king]; New Civic Party for Bulgaria [Bogomil BONEV]; People's Union
or PU (includes Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union and Democratic
Party) [Anastasiya MOZER]; St. George's Day [Lyuben DILOV]; Union of
Democratic Forces or UDF (an alliance of pro-democratic parties)
[Ivan KOSTOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders: agrarian movement; Bulgarian
Democratic Center; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of
Bulgaria or CITUB; Democratic Alliance for the Republic or DAR; New
Union for Democracy or NUD; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous
regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE,
CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG,
OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner),
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Philip DIMITROV
chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-7969
FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Richard M. MILES
embassy: 1 Suborna Street, Sofia
mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-5740
telephone: [359] (2) 980-52-41
FAX: [359] (2) 981-89-77
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top),
green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of
the white stripe has been removed - it contained a rampant lion
within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and
above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state
established) and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)
Bulgaria Economy
Economy - overview: Bulgaria, a former communist country struggling
to enter the European market economy, suffered a major economic
downturn in 1996 and 1997, with triple digit inflation and GDP
contraction of 10.6% and 6.9%. The current government - which took
office in May 1997 after pre-term parliamentary elections -
stabilized the economy and promoted growth by implementing a
currency board, practicing sound financial policies, invigorating
privatization, and pursuing structural reforms. Additionally, strong
assistance from international financial institutions - most notably
the IMF which approved a three-year Extended Fund Facility worth
approximately $900 million in September 1998 - played a critical
role in turning the economy around. After several years of tumult,
Bulgaria's economy has stabilized. Its better-than-expected economic
performance in 1999 - despite the impact of the Kosovo conflict, the
1998 Russian financial crisis, and structural reforms - and strong
growth in 2000 portends solid growth over the next few years; this
assumes continued fiscal restraint, additional structural reforms,
aid from abroad, and prosperous times in the EU economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $48 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%
industry: 29%
services: 56% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.4%
highest 10%: 22.5% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3.83 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services
43% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 17.7% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $4.85 billion
expenditures: $4.92 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco;
machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke,
refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Industrial production growth rate: 10.8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 36.217 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 51.52%
hydro: 8.35%
nuclear: 40.12%
other: 0.01% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 33.182 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 2.2 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 1.7 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock,
wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
Exports: $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery
and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners: Italy 14%, Turkey 10%, Germany 9%, Greece 8%,
Yugoslavia 8%, Belgium 6%, France 5%, US 4% (2000)
Imports: $5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery
and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food,
textiles
Imports - partners: Russia 24%, Germany 14%, Italy 8%, Greece 5%,
France 5%, Romania 4%, Turkey 3%, US 3% (2000)
Debt - external: $10.4 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $1 billion (1999 est.)
Currency: lev (BGL)
Currency code: BGL
Exchange rates: leva per US dollar - 2.0848 (January 2001), 2.1233
(2000), 1.8364 (1999), 1,760.36 (1998), 1,681.88 (1997), 177.89
(1996)
note: on 5 July 1999, the lev was redenominated; the post-5 July
1999 lev is equal to 1,000 of the pre-5 July 1999 lev
Fiscal year: calendar year
Bulgaria Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.255 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 596,000 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: extensive but antiquated
domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential;
telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern
digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of
the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio
relay
international: direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth
stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat
(Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 24, FM 93, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 4.51 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 96 (plus 1,030 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 3.31 million (1997)
Internet country code: .bg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 26 (2000)
Internet users: 200,000 (2000)
Bulgaria Transportation
Railways: total: 4,294 km
standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified; 917
km double track)
narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (1998)
Highways: total: 36,724 km
paved: 33,786 km (including 314 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,938 km (1999)
Waterways: 470 km (1987)
Pipelines: petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,500 km (1999)
Ports and harbors: Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
Merchant marine: total: 81 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
938,706 GRT/1,440,374 DWT
ships by type: bulk 44, cargo 16, chemical tanker 4, container 2,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 6, railcar carrier 2,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 1,
specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 215 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 128
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 87
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 75 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Bulgaria Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil
Defense Forces, Internal Troops
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,891,498 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,581,697 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 56,104
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $344 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.4% (FY00)
Bulgaria Transnational Issues
Illicit drugs: major European transshipment point for Southwest
Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the
European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals
======================================================================
@Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso Introduction
Background: Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly
Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and
1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s.
Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to
Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.
Burkina Faso Geography
Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 274,200 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km
water: 400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Colorado
Land boundaries: total: 3,192 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 548 km,
Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west
and southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m
Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of
gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc,
silver
Land use: arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 50%
other: 15% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring droughts
Environment - current issues: recent droughts and desertification
severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution,
and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: landlocked
Burkina Faso People
Population: 12,272,289
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.5% (male 2,937,285; female 2,892,107)
15-64 years: 49.59% (male 2,903,153; female 3,183,121)
65 years and over: 2.91% (male 150,688; female 205,935) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.68% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 44.79 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 17.05 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 106.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.41 years
male: 45.86 years
female: 46.98 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.35 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.44% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 43,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe
Ethnic groups: Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande,
Fulani
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly
Roman Catholic) 10%
Languages: French (official), native African languages belonging to
Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 19.2%
male: 29.5%
female: 9.2% (1995 est.)
Burkina Faso Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Burkina Faso
former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta
Government type: parliamentary
Capital: Ouagadougou
Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba,
Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo,
Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri,
Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno,
Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo
note: a new electoral code was approved by the National Assembly in
January 1997; the number of administrative provinces was increased
from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou,
Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo,
Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga,
Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala,
Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie,
Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro,
Zondomo, Zoundweogo), however, this change has not yet been
confirmed by the US Board on Geographic Names
Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Republic Day, 11 December (1958)
Constitution: 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991
formally adopted
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
Suffrage: universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since
15 October 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6
November 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
the president may serve unlimited terms; election last held 15
November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by
the president with the consent of the legislature
election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 87.5%
percent of the vote, 56% of voter turnout
note: President COMPAORE faces an increasingly well-coordinated
opposition; recent charges against a former member of his
Presidential Guard in the 1998 assassination of a newspaper editor
signify an attempt to defuse chronic areas of dissatisfaction
Legislative branch: bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or
Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (111 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the purely consultative
Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants (178 seats;
members are appointed to serve three-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 11 May 1997 (next
to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
CDP 101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally-Alliance for
Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Congress for
Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement
for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE]; Party
for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for
Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Union of Greens for
the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Burkinabe General
Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights
or HBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe
Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL;
watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both
organizations and communities
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Bruno ZIDOUEMBA
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577
FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jimmy J. KOLKER
embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follerau, Koulouba, Secteur 4, Ouagadougou
mailing address: B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01
telephone: [226] 306723
FAX: [226] 303890
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green
with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular
pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Burkina Faso Economy
Economy - overview: One of the poorest countries in the world,
landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural
resources, and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is
engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture which is highly
vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by
unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the
African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government
updated its development program in conjunction with international
agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased.
Maintenance of its macroeconomic progress in 2001-02 depends on
continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms
designed to encourage private investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 26%
industry: 27%
services: 47% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.2%
highest 10%: 39.5% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 5 million (1999)
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to
neighboring countries for seasonal employment
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $277 million
expenditures: $492 million, including capital expenditures of $233
million (1995 est.)
Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap,
cigarettes, textiles, gold
Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1995)
Electricity - production: 285 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 71.93%
hydro: 28.07%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 265.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton, sorghum,
millet, corn, rice; livestock
Exports: $220 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cotton, animal products, gold
Exports - partners: Italy 13%, France 10%, Indonesia 8%, Thailand 7%
(1999)
Imports: $610 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum
Imports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire 30%, France 28%, Spain 3%, Benelux
3% (1999)
Debt - external: $1.3 billion (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: $484.1 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Burkina Faso Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 36,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,503 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone
communication stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 370,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 100,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bf
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 4,000 (2000)
Burkina Faso Transportation
Railways: total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote
d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya)
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)
Highways: total: 12,506 km
paved: 2,001 km
unpaved: 10,505 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 33 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.)
Burkina Faso Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National
Police, People's Militia
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,592,974 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,329,995 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $66 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY96)
Burkina Faso Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Burma
Burma Introduction
Background: Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in
the main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military
junta ruling the country refused to hand over power. Key opposition
leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San Suu Kyi, under house
arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again placed under house detention in
September 2000; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed.
Burma Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay
of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N, 98 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 678,500 sq km
land: 657,740 sq km
water: 20,760 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 5,876 km
border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463
km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
Coastline: 1,930 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers
(southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall,
mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon,
December to April)
Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m
highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m
Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper,
tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones,
natural gas, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 49%
other: 34% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10,680 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and
landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic
droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution of
air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment
contribute to disease
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean
shipping lanes
Burma People
Population: 41,994,678
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.14% (male 6,245,798; female 5,992,074)
15-64 years: 66.08% (male 13,779,571; female 13,970,707)
65 years and over: 4.78% (male 895,554; female 1,110,974) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.6% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 20.13 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 12.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 73.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 55.16 years
male: 53.73 years
female: 56.68 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.99% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 530,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 48,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese
Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese
3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%
Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic
1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.1%
male: 88.7%
female: 77.7% (1995 est.)
note: these are official statistics; estimates of functional
literacy are likely closer to 30% (1999 est.)
Burma Government
Country name: conventional long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the
US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of
Myanmar)
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
Government type: military regime
Capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)
Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and
7 states (pyine-mya, singular - pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*,
Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*,
Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon*
Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)
Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988);
national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new
constitution; progress has since been stalled
Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Prime Minister and Chairman of
the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23
April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace
and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note -
the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); military
junta, so named 15 November 1997, which initially assumed power 18
September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration
Council; the SPDC oversees the cabinet
elections: none; the prime minister assumed power upon resignation
of the former prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw
(485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NLD 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other 60
Judicial branch: remnants of the British-era legal system are in
place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the
judiciary is not independent of the executive
Political parties and leaders: National League for Democracy or NLD
[AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National
Unity Party or NUP (proregime) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League
for Democracy or SNLD [U KHUN TUN OO]; Union Solidarity and
Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social and political
organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]; and other smaller
parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: All Burma Student Democratic
Front or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; Karen National
Union or KNU; National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or
NCGUB [Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals legitimately elected to
the People's Assembly but not recognized by the military regime; the
group fled to a border area and joined with insurgents in December
1990 to form a parallel government; several Shan factions; United Wa
State Army or UWSA
International organization participation: ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP,
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU,
NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate U LINN MYAING
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Permanent
Charge d'Affaires Priscilla A. CLAPP
embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546
telephone: [95] (1) 282055, 282182
FAX: [95] (1) 280409
Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side
corner bearing, all in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a
cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14
administrative divisions
Burma Economy
Economy - overview: Burma has a mixed economy with private activity
dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with
substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy
industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the 1990s has
aimed at revitalizing the economy after three decades of tight
central planning. Private activity markedly increased in the early
to mid-1990s, but began to decline in the past several years due to
frustrations with the unfriendly business environment and political
pressure from western nations. Published estimates of Burma's
foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of
black-market, illicit, and border trade. A major ongoing problem is
the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Burma remains
a poor Asian country and living standards for the majority have not
improved over the past decade. Short-term growth will continue to be
restrained because of poor government planning and minimal foreign
investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $63.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 42%
industry: 17%
services: 41% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 23% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1999)
Labor force: 19.7 million (FY98/99 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 10%, services
25% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.1% (official FY97/98 est.)
Budget: revenues: $7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7
billion (FY96/97)
Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and
wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials;
pharmaceuticals; fertilizer
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 4.813 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 68.56%
hydro: 31.44%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 4.476 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane,
pulses; hardwood
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: apparel 36%, foodstuffs 22%, wood products
21%, precious stones 5% (1999)
Exports - partners: India 13%, Singapore 11%, China 11%, US 8% (1999
est.)
note: official trade statistics do not include trade in illicit
goods - such as narcotics, teak, and gems - or the largely
unrecorded border trade with China and Thailand
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, construction
materials, food products
Imports - partners: Singapore 28%, Thailand 12%, China 10%, Japan
10%, South Korea 9% (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $6 billion (FY99/00 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $99 million (FY98/99)
Currency: kyat (MMK)
Currency code: MMK
Exchange rates: kyats per US dollar - official rate - 6.5972
(January 2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418
(1997), 5.9176 (1996); kyats per US dollar - black market exchange
rate - 435 (yearend 2000)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Burma Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 250,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,492 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: meets minimum requirements
for local and intercity service for business and government;
international service is good
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 4.2 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1998)
Televisions: 320,000 (2000)
Internet country code: .mm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1
note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only
for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses
(2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Burma Transportation
Railways: total: 3,991 km
narrow gauge: 3,991 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996)
Waterways: 12,800 km
note: 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km
Ports and harbors: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein,
Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy
Merchant marine: total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
411,181 GRT/632,769 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 20, container 1, passenger/cargo 3,
petroleum tanker 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Japan 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 80 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 71
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Burma Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 12,050,964
females age 15-49: 12,070,017
note: both sexes liable for military service (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
6,425,514
females age 15-49: 6,419,677 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 470,667
females: 479,691 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $39 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY97/98)
Burma Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: sporadic border hostilities with Thailand
over border alignment and ethnic Shan rebels operating in
cross-border region
Illicit drugs: world's second largest producer of illicit opium,
after Afghanistan (potential production in 1999 - 1,090 metric tons,
down 38% due to drought; cultivation in 1999 - 89,500 hectares, a
31% decline from 1998); surrender of drug warlord KHUN SA's Mong Tai
Army in January 1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a major
counternarcotics success, but lack of government will and ability to
take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment
against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug
effort; becoming a major source of methamphetamine for regional
consumption
======================================================================
@Burundi
Burundi Introduction
Background: Between 1993 and 2000, wide-spread, often intense ethnic
violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi created hundreds
of thousands of refugees and left tens of thousands dead. Although
some refugees have returned from neighboring countries, continued
ethnic strife has forced many others to flee. Burundian troops,
seeking to secure their borders, have intervened in the conflict in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Burundi Geography
Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 3 30 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 27,830 sq km
land: 25,650 sq km
water: 2,180 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 974 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda
290 km, Tanzania 451 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude
variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual
temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade
but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m;
average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; wet seasons from February
to May and September to November, and dry seasons from June to
August and December to January
Terrain: hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some
plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Mount Heha 2,670 m
Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt,
copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium, arable land,
hydropower
Land use: arable land: 44%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 36%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 140 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding, landslides, drought
Environment - current issues: soil erosion as a result of
overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands;
deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled
cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife
populations
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo
watershed
Burundi People
Population: 6,223,897
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.82% (male 1,472,618; female 1,441,548)
15-64 years: 50.37% (male 1,541,131; female 1,593,743)
65 years and over: 2.81% (male 71,984; female 102,873) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.38% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 40.13 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 16.36 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 70.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.06 years
male: 45.15 years
female: 46.99 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.16 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 11.32% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 360,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 39,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Burundian(s)
adjective: Burundi
Ethnic groups: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy)
1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000
Religions: Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%),
indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along
Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.3%
male: 49.3%
female: 22.5% (1995 est.)
Burundi Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Burundi
conventional short form: Burundi
local long form: Republika y'u Burundi
local short form: Burundi
former: Urundi
Government type: republic
Capital: Bujumbura
Administrative divisions: 16 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi,
Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba,
Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian
administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution: 13 March 1992; provided for establishment of a plural
political system; supplanted on 6 June 1998 by a Transitional
Constitution which enlarged the National Assembly and created two
vice presidents
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Pierre BUYOYA (interim
president since 27 September 1996, officially sworn in 11 June
1998), First Vice President Frederic BAMVUGINYUMVIRA (since NA June
1998), Second Vice President Mathias SINAMENYE (since NA June 1998);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Pierre BUYOYA (interim president
since 27 September 1996, officially sworn in 11 June 1998), First
Vice President Frederic BAMVUGINYUMVIRA (since NA June 1998), Second
Vice President Mathias SINAMENYE (since NA June 1998); note - the
president is both chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president
elections: NA; current president assumed power following a coup on
25 July 1996 in which former President NTIBANTUNGANYA was overthrown
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (121 seats; note - new Transitional Constitution expanded
the number of seats from 81 to 121 in 1998; members are elected by
popular vote on a proportional basis to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 29 June 1993 (next was scheduled to be held in
1998, but suspended by presidential decree in 1996)
election results: percent of vote by party - FRODEBU 71.04%, UPRONA
21.4%, other 7.56%; seats by party - FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16, various
other parties 40
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional
Court; Courts of Appeal (there are three in separate locations);
Tribunals of First Instance (17 at the province level and 123 small
local tribunals)
Political parties and leaders: Two national, mainstream governing
parties are: Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Luc RUKINGAMA,
president]; Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Jean MINANI,
president]
note: A multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are:
Burundi African Alliance for the Salvation or ABASA [Terrence
NSANZE]; Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development or
RADDES [Joseph NZENZIMANA]; Party for National Redress or PARENA
[Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]; People's Reconciliation Party or PRP
[Mathias HITIMANA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Loosely organized Tutsi
militias, often affiliated with Tutsi extremist parties
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC,
CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU,
NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Thomas NDIKUMANA
chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574
FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mary Carlin YATES
embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura
mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura
telephone: [257] 223454
FAX: [257] 222926
Flag description: divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels
(top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and outer side) with a
white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed
stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star
above, two stars below)
Burundi Economy
Economy - overview: Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country
with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is
predominantly agricultural with roughly 90% of the population
dependent on subsistence agriculture. Its economic health depends on
the coffee crop, which accounts for 80% of foreign exchange
earnings. The ability to pay for imports therefore rests largely on
the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market.
Since October 1993 the nation has suffered from massive ethnic-based
violence which has resulted in the death of perhaps 250,000 persons
and the displacement of about 800,000 others. Only one in four
children go to school, and one in nine adults has HIV/AIDS. Foods,
medicines, and electricity remain in short supply.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $720 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 50%
industry: 18%
services: 32% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 36.2% (1990 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.4%
highest 10%: 26.6% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.9 million
Labor force - by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $125 million
expenditures: $176 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap;
assembly of imported components; public works construction; food
processing
Industrial production growth rate: 6.3% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 141 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.71%
hydro: 99.29%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 160.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 29 million kWh
note: supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet
potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides
Exports: $32 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides
Exports - partners: Germany 17%, Belgium 14%, US 8%, France 6%,
Switzerland 4% (1999)
Imports: $110 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Belgium 20%, Zambia 11%, Kenya 8%, South Africa
5%, France 4% (1999)
Debt - external: $1.12 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.344 billion (1999 est.)
Currency: Burundi franc (BIF)
Currency code: BIF
Exchange rates: Burundi francs per US dollar - 782.36 (January
2001), 720.67 (2000), 563.56 (1999), 477.77 (1998), 352.35 (1997),
302.75 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Burundi Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 16,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 619 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: primitive system
domestic: sparse system of open wire, radiotelephone
communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 440,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1999)
Televisions: 25,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bi
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Burundi Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 14,480 km
paved: 1,028 km
unpaved: 13,452 km (1996)
Waterways: Lake Tanganyika
Ports and harbors: Bujumbura
Airports: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Burundi Military
Military branches: Army (includes naval and air units), paramilitary
Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 16 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,394,273 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
728,326 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 79,360
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $57 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6.1% (FY97)
Burundi Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Cambodia
Cambodia Introduction
Background: Following a five-year struggle, communist Khmer Rouge
forces captured Phnom Penh in 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all
cities and towns; over 1 million displaced people died from
execution or enforced hardships. A 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove
the Khmer Rouge into the countryside and touched off 13 years of
fighting. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some
semblance of normalcy, as did the rapid diminishment of the Khmer
Rouge in the mid-1990s. A coalition government, formed after
national elections in 1998, brought renewed political stability and
the surrender of remaining Khmer Rouge forces.
Cambodia Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between
Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 181,040 sq km
land: 176,520 sq km
water: 4,520 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oklahoma
Land boundaries: total: 2,572 km
border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
Coastline: 443 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry
season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
Natural resources: timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese,
phosphates, hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 11%
forests and woodland: 66%
other: 10% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 920 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding;
occasional droughts
Environment - current issues: illegal logging activities throughout
the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along
the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining
biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps
threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, a
majority of the population does not have access to potable water;
toxic waste delivery from Taiwan sparked unrest in Kampong Saom
(Sihanoukville) in December 1998
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Life
Conservation, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Geography - note: a land of paddies and forests dominated by the
Mekong River and Tonle Sap
Cambodia People
Population: 12,491,501
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.25% (male 2,626,821; female 2,526,510)
15-64 years: 55.28% (male 3,253,611; female 3,651,129)
65 years and over: 3.47% (male 177,577; female 255,853) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.25% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 33.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 65.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 56.82 years
male: 54.62 years
female: 59.12 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.74 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.04% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 220,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 14,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Cambodian(s)
adjective: Cambodian
Ethnic groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
Religions: Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%
Languages: Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35%
male: 48%
female: 22% (1990 est.)
Cambodia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia
conventional short form: Cambodia
local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea
local short form: Kampuchea
former: Khmer Republic, Kampuchea Republic
Government type: multiparty liberal democracy under a constitutional
monarchy established in September 1993
Capital: Phnom Penh
Administrative divisions: 20 provinces (khett, singular and plural)
and 4 municipalities* (krong, singular and plural); Banteay Mean
Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe,
Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Keb*, Kracheh, Mondol Kiri,
Otdar Mean Cheay, Pailin*, Phnum Penh*, Pouthisat, Preah Seihanu*
(Sihanoukville), Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab,
Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev
Independence: 9 November 1953 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 November (1953)
Constitution: promulgated 21 September 1993
Legal system: primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced
codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia
(UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with
influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory;
increasing influence of common law in recent years
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King Norodom SIHANOUK (reinstated
24 September 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 30 November 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council;
prime minister appointed by the monarch after a vote of confidence
by the National Assembly
Legislative branch: bicameral consists of the National Assembly (122
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and
the Senate (61 seats; two members appointed by the monarch, two
elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by "functional
constituencies"; members serve five-year terms
elections: National Assembly - last held 26 July 1998 (next to be
held NA 2003); Senate - last held 2 March 1999 (next to be held NA
2004)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
CPP 41%, FUNCINPEC 32%, SRP 14%, other 13%; seats by party - CPP 64,
FUNCINPEC 43, SRP 15; Senate - seats by party - CPP 31, FUNCINPEC
21, SRP 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in
the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and
lower courts) exercises judicial authority
Political parties and leaders: Buddhist Liberal Party or BLP [IENG
MOULY]; Cambodian Pracheachon Party or Cambodian People's Party or
CPP [CHEA SIM]; Khmer Citizen Party or KCP [NGUON SOEUR]; National
United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative
Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH]; Sam Rangsi Party
or SRP (formerly Khmer Nation Party or KNP) [SAM RANGSI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Roland ENG
chancery: 4500 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742
FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kent M. WIEDEMANN
embassy: 16-18 Mongkol lem St. 228, Phnom Penh
mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546
telephone: [855] (23) 216-436
FAX: [855] (23) 216-437
Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double
width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing
Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band
Cambodia Economy
Economy - overview: Cambodia's economy slowed dramatically in
1997-98 due to the regional economic crisis, civil violence, and
political infighting. Foreign investment and tourism fell off. In
1999, the first full year of peace in 30 years, progress was made on
economic reforms and growth resumed at 4%. GDP growth for 2000 had
been projected to reach 5.5%, but the worst flooding in 70 years
severely damaged agricultural crops, and high oil prices hurt
industrial production, and growth for the year is estimated at only
4%. Tourism is Cambodia's fastest growing industry, with arrivals up
34% in 2000. The long-term development of the economy after decades
of war remains a daunting challenge. The population lacks education
and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden
countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic
infrastructure. Fear of renewed political instability and corruption
within the government discourage foreign investment and delay
foreign aid. On the brighter side, the government is addressing
these issues with assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $16.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43%
industry: 20%
services: 37% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 36% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.9%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 6 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.8% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $363 million
expenditures: $532 million, including capital expenditures of $225
million (2000 est.)
Industries: garments, tourism, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood
products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 147 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 59.18%
hydro: 40.82%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 136.7 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, rubber, corn, vegetables
Exports: $942 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: timber, garments, rubber, rice, fish
Exports - partners: Vietnam 18%, Thailand 15%, US 10%, Singapore 8%,
China 5% (1997)
Imports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: cigarettes, gold, construction materials,
petroleum products, machinery, motor vehicles
Imports - partners: Thailand 16%, Vietnam 9%, Japan 7%, Hong Kong
5%, China 5% (1997)
Debt - external: $829 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $548 million pledged in grants and
concessional loans for 2001 by international donors
Currency: riel (KHR)
Currency code: KHR
Exchange rates: riels per US dollar - 3,909.0 (January 2001),
3,840.8 (2000), 3,807.8 (1999), 3,744.4 (1998), 2,946.3 (1997),
2,624.1 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Cambodia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 21,800 (mid-1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 80,000 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate landline and/or
cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; rural
areas have little telephone service
domestic: NA
international: adequate but expensive landline and cellular service
available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial
cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean
region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1999)
Radios: 1.34 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1999)
Televisions: 94,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .kh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Cambodia Transportation
Railways: total: 603 km
narrow gauge: 603 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 35,769 km
paved: 4,165 km
unpaved: 31,604 km (1997)
Waterways: 3,700 km
note: navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less; 282 km
navigable to craft drawing as much as 1.8 m
Ports and harbors: Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville), Kampot, Krong Kaoh
Kong, Phnom Penh
Merchant marine: total: 295 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,305,932 GRT/1,853,487 DWT
ships by type: bulk 22, cargo 237, chemical tanker 1, combination
bulk 3, container 8, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 2,
multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea
passenger 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Cyprus 3, South Korea 1, Malta 1, Panama 1, Russia
1, Singapore 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 19 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 13
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 11 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 3 (2000 est.)
Cambodia Military
Military branches: Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), including
Army, Navy, and Air Force - created in 1993 by the merger of the
Cambodian People's Armed Forces and the two noncommunist resistance
armies
note: Khmer Rouge and royalist insurgent forces were integrated
into the RCAF in 1999
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,877,137 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,610,761 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 162,643
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $112 million (FY01 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3% (FY01 est.)
Cambodia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: portions of boundary with Vietnam are
disputed; parts of border with Thailand are indefinite
Illicit drugs: possible money laundering; narcotics-related
corruption reportedly involving some in the government, military,
and police; possible small-scale opium, heroin, and amphetamine
production; large producer of cannabis for the international market
======================================================================
@Cameroon
Cameroon Introduction
Background: The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon
merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally
enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of
agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry.
Despite movement toward democratic reform, political power remains
firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy.
Cameroon Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between
Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N, 12 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 475,440 sq km
land: 469,440 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 4,591 km
border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km,
Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298
km, Nigeria 1,690 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 50 NM
Climate: varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid
and hot in north
Terrain: diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau
in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Fako 4,095 m
Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 78%
other: 3% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 210 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous
gases
Environment - current issues: water-borne diseases are prevalent;
deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa
Cameroon People
Population: 15,803,220
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.37% (male 3,385,898; female 3,310,504)
15-64 years: 54.28% (male 4,305,354; female 4,271,958)
65 years and over: 3.35% (male 244,419; female 285,087) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.41% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 36.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 11.99 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) NA
migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 69.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.59 years
male: 53.76 years
female: 55.44 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 7.73% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 540,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 52,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Cameroonian(s)
adjective: Cameroonian
Ethnic groups: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi
11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other
African 13%, non-African less than 1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official),
French (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.4%
male: 75%
female: 52.1% (1995 est.)
Cameroon Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
conventional short form: Cameroon
former: French Cameroon
Government type: unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime
(opposition parties legalized in 1990)
note: preponderance of power remains with the president
Capital: Yaounde
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est,
Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest
Independence: 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN
trusteeship)
National holiday: Republic Day, 20 May (1972)
Constitution: 20 May 1972 approved by referendum; 2 June 1972
formally adopted; revised January 1996
Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law
influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6
November 1982)
head of government: Prime Minister Peter Mafany MUSONGE (since 19
September 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals
submitted by the Prime Minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 12 October 1997 (next to be held NA October
2004); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote -
Paul BIYA 92.6%; note - supporters of the opposition candidates
boycotted the elections, making a comparison of vote shares
relatively meaningless
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve five-year terms; note - the president can either lengthen or
shorten the term of the legislature)
elections: last held 17 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RDCP 109, SDF 43, UNDP 13, UDC 5, UPC-K 1, MDR 1, MLJC 1; note -
results from 7 contested seats were cancelled by the Supreme Court,
further elections on 3 August 1997 gave these seats to the RDPC
note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the
legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president); High Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and 6
substitute judges, elected by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC
[Adamou NDAM NJOYA]; Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People or RDCP
[Paul BIYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole
DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon
or MLDC [leader NA]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MLJC
[Marcel YONDO]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP
[Maigari BELLO BOUBA, chairman]; Social Democratic Front or SDF
[John FRU NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations has two sections
UPC-N [Ndeh NTUMAZAH] and UPC-K [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Cameroon Anglophone Movement
or CAM [Vishe FAI, secretary general]; Southern Cameroon National
Council [Nfor Ngala NFOR, acting]
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, C,
CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jerome MENDOUGA
chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790
FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John M. YATES
embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520
telephone: [237] 23-40-14, 22-25-89, 23-05-12, 22-17-94
FAX: [237] 23-07-53
branch office(s): Douala
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red
band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Cameroon Economy
Economy - overview: Because of its oil resources and favorable
agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed
primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces
many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries,
such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable
climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has
embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur
business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve
trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the
government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural
adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms,
including increased budget transparency and privatization. Higher
oil prices in 2000 helped to offset the country's lower cocoa export
revenues. A rebound in the cocoa market should increase growth to
over 5% in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $26 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43.4%
industry: 20.1%
services: 36.5% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry and commerce
13%, other 17%
Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.1 billion
expenditures: $2.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY00/01 est.)
Industries: petroleum production and refining, food processing,
light consumer goods, textiles, lumber
Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.47 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.59%
hydro: 97.41%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 3.227 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas,
oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber
Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber,
cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners: Italy 24%, France 18%, Netherlands 10% (2000
est.)
Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machines and electrical equipment, transport
equipment, fuel, food
Imports - partners: France 29%, Germany 7%, US 6%, Japan 6% (2000
est.)
Debt - external: $10.9 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: on 23 January 2001, the Paris Club agreed
to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; total
debt relief now amounts to $1.26 billion
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Cameroon Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 75,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,200 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: available only to business
and government
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 11, FM 8, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 2.27 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1998)
Televisions: 450,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Cameroon Transportation
Railways: total: 1,104 km
narrow gauge: 1,104 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)
Highways: total: 34,300 km
paved: 4,288 km
unpaved: 30,012 km (1995)
Waterways: 2,090 km (of decreasing importance)
Ports and harbors: Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua, Kribi, Tiko
Airports: 49 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
Cameroon Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force,
National Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,762,369 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,903,149 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 174,308
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $118.6 million (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY98/99)
Cameroon Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: delimitation of international boundaries
in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border
incidents in the past, is complete and awaits ratification by
Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; tripartite maritime boundary and
economic zone dispute with Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria is
currently before the ICJ
======================================================================
@Canada
Canada Introduction
Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural resources,
Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties
to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation
has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south
across an unfortified border. Its paramount political problem
continues to be the relationship of the province of Quebec, with its
French-speaking residents and unique culture, to the remainder of
the country.
Canada Geography
Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean
and North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US
Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 95 00 W
Map references: North America
Area: total: 9,976,140 sq km
land: 9,220,970 sq km
water: 755,170 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than the US
Land boundaries: total: 8,893 km
border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in
north
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in
southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m
Natural resources: iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead,
molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum,
natural gas, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 38% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 7,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious
obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky
Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic,
Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the
country's rain and snow
Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain
severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting,
coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on
agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming
contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry
activities
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: second-largest country in world (after Russia);
strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route;
approximately 85% of the population is concentrated within 300 km of
the US/Canada border
Canada People
Population: 31,592,805 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.95% (male 3,067,102; female 2,918,839)
15-64 years: 68.28% (male 10,846,151; female 10,725,800)
65 years and over: 12.77% (male 1,715,071; female 2,319,842) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.99% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.21 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.47 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.56 years
male: 76.16 years
female: 83.13 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 49,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 400 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Canadian(s)
adjective: Canadian
Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other
European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%,
mixed background 26%
Religions: Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 40%, other 18%
Languages: English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other
17.5%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97% (1986 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Canada Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Canada
Government type: confederation with parliamentary democracy
Capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta,
British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest
Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,
Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day/Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Constitution: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the
machinery of the government was set up in the British North America
Act of 1867; charter of rights and unwritten customs
Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where
civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General Adrienne CLARKSON
(since 7 October 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November
1993)
cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among
the members of his own party sitting in Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a
five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party in the House of Commons is automatically designated
by the governor general to become prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of
the Senate or Senat (a body whose members are appointed to serve
until reaching 75 years of age by the governor general and selected
on the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104
senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (301
seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Commons - last held 27 November 2000 (next to
be held 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party as of January 2001 -
Liberal Party 42%, Canadian Alliance 22%, Bloc Quebecois 13%, New
Democratic Party 4%, Progressive Conservative Party 4%; seats by
party as of January 2001 - Liberal Party 172, Canadian Alliance 66,
Bloc Quebecois 38, New Democratic Party 13, Progressive Conservative
Party 12
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by
the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of
Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named
variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court,
Supreme Court, and Court of Justice)
Political parties and leaders: Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE];
Canadian Alliance [Stockwell DAY]; Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN];
New Democratic Party [Alexa MCDONOUGH]; Progressive Conservative
Party [Joe CLARK]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, APEC,
ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia
Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURCA,
MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIKOM, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael KERGIN
chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740
FAX: [1] (202) 682-7726
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas,
Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle
consulate(s): Miami, Princeton, San Francisco, and San Jose
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Gordon D. GIFFIN
embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8
mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430
telephone: [1] (613) 238-5335, 4470
FAX: [1] (613) 238-5720
consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto,
and Vancouver
Flag description: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white
(double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in
the white band
Canada Economy
Economy - overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society,
Canada today closely resembles the US in its market-oriented
economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards.
Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing,
mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a
largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. Real
rates of growth have averaged nearly 3.0% since 1993. Unemployment
is falling and government budget surpluses are being partially
devoted to reducing the large public sector debt. The 1989 US-Canada
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) have touched off a
dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US.
With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern
capital plant Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Two shadows
loom, the first being the continuing constitutional impasse between
English- and French-speaking areas, which has been raising the
possibility of a split in the federation. Another long-term concern
is the flow south to the US of professional persons lured by higher
pay, lower taxes, and the immense high-tech infrastructure.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $774.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 31%
services: 66% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 23.8% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (2000)
Labor force: 16.1 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: services 74%, manufacturing 15%,
construction 5%, agriculture 3%, other 3% (2000)
Unemployment rate: 6.8% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $126.1 billion
expenditures: $125.3 billion, including capital expenditures of
$14.8 billion (2000)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood
and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish
products, petroleum and natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 567.193 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 26.38%
hydro: 60%
nuclear: 12.31%
other: 1.31% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 497.532 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 42.911 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 12.953 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits,
vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish
Exports: $272.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles and parts, newsprint, wood
pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, aluminum,
telecommunications equipment, electricity
Exports - partners: US 86%, Japan 3%, UK, Germany, South Korea,
Netherlands, China (1999)
Imports: $238.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, crude oil,
chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods,
electricity
Imports - partners: US 76%, Japan 3%, UK, Germany, France, Mexico,
Taiwan, South Korea (1999)
Debt - external: $1.9 billion (2000)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1999)
Currency: Canadian dollar (CAD)
Currency code: CAD
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.5032 (January
2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997),
1.3635 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Canada Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 18.5 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.207 million (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent service provided by
modern technology
domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations
international: 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations
- 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 535, FM 53, shortwave 6 (1998)
Radios: 32.3 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 80 (plus many repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 21.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ca
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 760 (2000 est.)
Internet users: 13.28 million (1999)
Canada Transportation
Railways: total: 36,114 km; note - there are two major
transcontinental freight railway systems: Canadian National
(privatized November 1995) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger
service provided by government-operated firm VIA, which has no
trackage of its own
standard gauge: 36,114 km 1.435-m gauge (156 km electrified) (1998)
Highways: total: 901,902 km
paved: 318,371 km (including 16,571 km of expressways)
unpaved: 583,531 km (1999)
Waterways: 3,000 km (including Saint Lawrence Seaway)
Pipelines: crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km
Ports and harbors: Becancour (Quebec), Churchill, Halifax, Hamilton,
Montreal, New Westminster, Prince Rupert, Quebec, Saint John (New
Brunswick), St. John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Sydney,
Trois-Rivieres, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor
Merchant marine: total: 121 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,767,259 GRT/2,633,290 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 67, cargo 13, chemical tanker
5, combination bulk 1, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 17, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea
passenger 3, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1,417 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 517
over 3,047 m: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 151
914 to 1,523 m: 244
under 914 m: 89 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 900
1,524 to 2,437 m: 74
914 to 1,523 m: 362
under 914 m: 464 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 18 (2000 est.)
Canada Military
Military branches: Canadian Forces (includes Land Forces Command or
LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications
Command or CC, Training Command or TC), Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP)
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 8,325,084 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
7,114,851 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 215,627
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7.5 billion (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (FY00/01)
Canada Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: maritime boundary disputes with the US
(Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal
Island)
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug
market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large
quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; transit point for
heroin and cocaine entering the US market
======================================================================
@Cape Verde
Cape Verde Introduction
Background: The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by
the Portuguese in the 15th century; they subsequently became a
trading center for African slaves. Most Cape Verdeans descend from
both groups. Independence was achieved in 1975.
Cape Verde Geography
Location: Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic
Ocean, west of Senegal
Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 24 00 W
Map references: World
Area: total: 4,033 sq km
land: 4,033 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 965 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very
erratic
Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)
Natural resources: salt, basalt rock, pozzuolana (a siliceous
volcanic ash used to produce hydraulic cement), limestone, kaolin,
fish
Land use: arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 83% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,500 to 2,000 hectares (1999)
Natural hazards: prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure
visibility; volcanically and seismically active
Environment - current issues: overgrazing of livestock and improper
land use such as the cultivation of crops on steep slopes has led to
soil erosion; demand for wood used as fuel has resulted in
deforestation; desertification; environmental damage has threatened
several species of birds and reptiles; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location 500 km from west coast of
Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications
station; important sea and air refueling site
Cape Verde People
Population: 405,163 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.79% (male 87,458; female 85,895)
15-64 years: 50.76% (male 97,812; female 107,834)
65 years and over: 6.45% (male 10,204; female 15,960) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.92% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 28.71 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -12.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 53.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.21 years
male: 65.93 years
female: 72.6 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Cape Verdean(s)
adjective: Cape Verdean
Ethnic groups: Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs);
Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Languages: Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West
African words)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 71.6%
male: 81.4%
female: 63.8% (1995 est.)
Cape Verde Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde
conventional short form: Cape Verde
local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde
local short form: Cabo Verde
Government type: republic
Capital: Praia
Administrative divisions: 14 districts (concelhos, singular -
concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo,
Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Nicolau, Sao
Vicente, Tarrafal; note - there may be a new administrative
structure of 16 districts (Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul,
Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz,
Sao Domingos, Sao Nicolau, Sao Filipe, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal)
Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1975)
Constitution: new constitution came into force 25 September 1992;
underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995, substantially
increasing the powers of the president
Legal system: derived from the legal system of Portugal
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Pedro PIRES (since 22
March 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since
1 February 1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister from among the members of the
National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 11 and 25 February 2001 (next to be held NA
February 2006); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly
and appointed by the president
election results: Pedro PIRES elected president; percent of vote -
Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 49.43%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 49.42%; note: the
election was won by only twelve votes
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia
Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA December
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 47.3%, MPD
39.8%, ADM 6%, other 6.9%; seats by party - PAICV 40, MPD 30, ADM 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de
Justia
Political parties and leaders: African Party for Independence of
Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria NEVES, chairman]; Democratic
Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of
PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Jacinto
SANTOS, president]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Antonio Gualberto
do ROSARIO, president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr.
Eurico MONTEIRO, president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS
[Dr. Oresimo SILVEIRA, president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD
[Joao ALEM, president]; Union for an Independent Democratic Cape
Verde or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM,
OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTAET, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ferdinand Amilcar Spencer LOPES
chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820
FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207
consulate(s) general: Boston
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael D. METELITS
embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo 81, Praia
mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia
telephone: [238] 61 56 16
FAX: [238] 61 13 55
Flag description: three horizontal bands of light blue (top, double
width), white (with a horizontal red stripe in the middle third),
and light blue; a circle of 10 yellow five-pointed stars is centered
on the hoist end of the red stripe and extends into the upper and
lower blue bands
Cape Verde Economy
Economy - overview: Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor
natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated
by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented,
with commerce, transport, and public services accounting for almost
70% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural
areas, the share of agriculture in GDP in 1998 was only 13%, of
which fishing accounts for 1.5%. About 90% of food must be imported.
The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully
exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed
by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants; remittances
constitute a supplement to GDP of more than 20%. Economic reforms,
launched by the new democratic government in 1991, are aimed at
developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to
diversify the economy. Prospects for 2001 depend heavily on the
maintenance of aid flows, remittances, and the momentum of the
government's development program.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $670 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13%
industry: 19%
services: 68% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2000)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 24% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $188 million
expenditures: $228 million, including capital expenditures of $116
million (1996)
Industries: food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments,
salt mining, ship repair
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 40 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 37.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes,
sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish
Exports: $40 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: fuel, shoes, garments, fish, bananas, hides
Exports - partners: Portugal, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Malaysia
Imports: $250 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, industrial products, transport
equipment, fuels
Imports - partners: Portugal, Netherlands, France, UK, Spain, US
Debt - external: $260 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $111.3 million (1995)
Currency: Cape Verdean escudo (CVE)
Currency code: CVE
Exchange rates: Cape Verdean escudos per US dollar - 123.080
(December 2000), 115.877 (2000), 102.700 (1999), 98.158 (1998),
93.177 (1997), 82.591 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Cape Verde Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 45,644 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 19,729 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: effective system, being
improved
domestic: interisland microwave radio relay system with both analog
and digital exchanges; work is in progress on a submarine
fiber-optic cable system which was scheduled for completion in 1998
international: 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to
Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 11 (and 14 repeaters), shortwave
0 (1998)
Radios: 73,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 2,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cv
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
Cape Verde Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,100 km
paved: 858 km
unpaved: 242 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal
Merchant marine: total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,523
GRT/11,798 DWT
ships by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 8 (2000)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2000)
Cape Verde Military
Military branches: Army, Coast Guard/Marines
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 89,543 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
50,615 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (FY96)
Cape Verde Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs
moving from Latin America and Africa destined for Western Europe
======================================================================
@Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands Introduction
Background: The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the
British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica
from 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962 when the
former became independent.
Cayman Islands Geography
Location: Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half
of the way from Cuba to Honduras
Geographic coordinates: 19 30 N, 80 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 259 sq km
land: 259 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 160 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and
cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
Terrain: low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: The Bluff 43 m
Natural resources: fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 8%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 69% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes (July to November)
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources;
drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchment
Geography - note: important location between Cuba and Central America
Cayman Islands People
Population: 35,527 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.21% (male 3,807; female 4,084)
15-64 years: 69.74% (male 12,102; female 12,676)
65 years and over: 8.05% (male 1,318; female 1,540) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.12% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.79 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 12.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US
Sex ratio: at birth: 0.86 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.03 years
male: 76.24 years
female: 81.43 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.04 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Caymanian(s)
adjective: Caymanian
Ethnic groups: mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of
various ethnic groups 20%
Religions: United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational),
Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Church of God, other Protestant
Languages: English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98% (1970 est.)
Cayman Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cayman Islands
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: British crown colony
Capital: George Town
Administrative divisions: 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland,
South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Constitution Day, first Monday in July
Constitution: 1959, revised 1972 and 1992
Legal system: British common law and local statutes
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952); Governor and President of the Executive Council
Peter SMITH (since 5 May 1999)
head of government: Kurt TIBBETTS (since November 2000)
cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the
governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is
appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three
appointed members and 15 elected by popular vote; members serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
Judicial branch: Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of
Appeal
Political parties and leaders: there are no formal political parties
but the following loose groupings act as political organizations;
National Team; Democratic Alliance; Team Cayman
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Caricom (observer), CDB,
Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms on a white disk
centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a
pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing
the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE
HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS
Cayman Islands Economy
Economy - overview: With no direct taxation, the islands are a
thriving offshore financial center. More than 40,000 companies were
registered in the Cayman Islands as of 1997, including almost 600
banks and trust companies; banking assets exceed $500 billion. A
stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay,
accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency
earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and
caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals
exceeded 1.2 million visitors in 1997. About 90% of the islands'
food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one
of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards
of living in the world.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $930 million (1997 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,500 (1997 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 3.2%
services: 95.4% (1994 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1998)
Labor force: 19,820 (1995)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%,
services 86% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (1997)
Budget: revenues: $265.2 million
expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)
Industries: tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction,
construction materials, furniture
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 330 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 306.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: vegetables, fruit; livestock, turtle farming
Exports: $1.5 million (1998)
Exports - commodities: turtle products, manufactured consumer goods
Exports - partners: mostly US
Imports: $507.6 million (1998)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods
Imports - partners: US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands
Antilles, Japan
Debt - external: $70 million (1996)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Caymanian dollar (KYD)
Currency code: KYD
Exchange rates: Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.83 (3 November
1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Cayman Islands Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 19,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,534 (1995)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine coaxial cable; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 36,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: 7,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ky
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Cayman Islands Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 406 km
paved: 304 km
unpaved: 102 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Cayman Brac, George Town
Merchant marine: total: 106 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,656,452 GRT/2,643,036 DWT
ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 5, chemical tanker 27, container 4,
liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 30, roll
on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Cyprus 2, Denmark 2, Finland 1, Greece 11, Norway 3,
UK 3, US 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Cayman Islands Military
Military branches: Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (RCIPF)
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Cayman Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: vulnerable to drug money laundering and drug
transshipment to the US and Europe
======================================================================
@Central African Republic
Central African Republic Introduction
Background: The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the
Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three
tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - a
civilian government was installed in 1993.
Central African Republic Geography
Location: Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 21 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 622,984 sq km
land: 622,984 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 5,203 km
border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic
Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan
1,165 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills
in northeast and southwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m
highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m
Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 75%
other: 17% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern
areas; floods are common
Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching has
diminished its reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges;
desertification; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
Central African Republic People
Population: 3,576,884
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.23% (male 778,885; female 767,414)
15-64 years: 53% (male 929,717; female 965,947)
65 years and over: 3.77% (male 59,364; female 75,557) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.85% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 37.05 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 18.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 105.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.8 years
male: 42.17 years
female: 45.48 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.86 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.84% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 240,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 23,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Central African(s)
adjective: Central African
Ethnic groups: Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%,
M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 1,500 French)
Religions: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic
25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the
Christian majority
Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national
language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60%
male: 68.5%
female: 52.4% (1995 est.)
Central African Republic Government
Country name: conventional long form: Central African Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
local short form: none
former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
abbreviation: CAR
Government type: republic
Capital: Bangui
Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular -
prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques,
singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**;
Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto,
Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou,
Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*,
Vakaga
Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Republic Day, 1 December (1958)
Constitution: passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7
January 1995
Legal system: based on French law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Ange-Felix PATASSE
(since 22 October 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Martin ZIGUELE (since 1 April
2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 19 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2005);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ange-Felix PATASSE reelected president; percent
of vote - Ange-Felix PATASSE 51.63%, Andre KOLINGBA 19.38%, David
DACKO 11.15%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms; note - there were 85 seats in the National Assembly
before the 1998 election)
elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to
be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD
9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%,
independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD
6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7
note: the National Assembly is advised by the Economic and Regional
Council or Conseil Economique et Regional; when they sit together
they are called the Congress or Congres
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court
(all judges appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; Criminal
Courts
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy and Progress
or ADP [Francois PEHOUA]; Central African Democratic Assembly or RDC
[Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA];
Democratic Forum or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party
or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Movement for Democracy and
Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the
Central African People or MLPC [the party of the president,
Ange-Felix PATASSE]; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel
GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [leader NA];
National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic
Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU,
OIC (observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Emmanuel TOUABOY
chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Robert C. PERRY
embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui
mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui
telephone: [236] 61 02 00
FAX: [236] 61 44 94
Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white,
green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a
yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band
Central African Republic Economy
Economy - overview: Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry,
remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic
(CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying
areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Timber has
accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry
for nearly 54%. Important constraints to economic development
include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system,
a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected
macroeconomic policies. The 50% devaluation of the currencies of 14
Francophone African nations on 12 January 1994 had mixed effects on
the CAR's economy. Diamond, timber, coffee, and cotton exports
increased, leading an estimated rise of GDP of 7% in 1994 and nearly
5% in 1995. Military rebellions and social unrest in 1996 were
accompanied by widespread destruction of property and a drop in GDP
of 2%. The IMF approved an Extended Structure Adjustment Facility in
1998 and the World Bank extended further credits in 1999 and
approved a $10 million loan in early 2001. The government has set
targets of 3.5% GDP growth in 2001 and 2002. As of January 2001,
many civil servants were owed as much as 30 months pay, leading them
to go on strike and further damaging the economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 53%
industry: 20%
services: 27% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
0.7%
highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 6% (1993)
Budget: revenues: $638 million
expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $888
million (1994 est.)
Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles, footwear,
assembly of bicycles and motorcycles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 102 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 20.59%
hydro: 79.41%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 94.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca),
yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber
Exports: $166 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco
Exports - partners: Benelux 64%, Cote d'Ivoire, Spain, China, Egypt,
France (1999)
Imports: $154 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products,
machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products
Imports - partners: France 35%, Cameroon 13%, Benelux, Cote
d'Ivoire, Germany, Japan (1999)
Debt - external: $790 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $172.2 million (1995); note - traditional
budget subsidies from France
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Central African Republic Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 570 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system
domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and
low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 283,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: 18,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cf
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Central African Republic Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 23,810 km
paved: 429 km
unpaved: 23,381 km (2000)
Waterways: 900 km
note: traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft
dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river, navigable all year to
craft drawing 0.6 m or less; 282 km navigable to craft drawing as
much as 1.8 m
Ports and harbors: Bangui, Nola
Airports: 52 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 49
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 15 (2000 est.)
Central African Republic Military
Military branches: Central African Armed Forces (includes Army, Air
Force, Presidential Guard, National Gendarmerie, Police Force)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 824,139 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
430,922 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $29 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY96)
Central African Republic Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Chad
Chad Introduction
Background: Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960,
endured three decades of ethnic warfare as well as invasions by
Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The
government eventually suppressed or came to terms with most
political-military groups, settled a territorial dispute with Libya
on terms favorable to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution, and
held multiparty presidential and National Assembly elections in 1996
and 1997 respectively. In 1998 a new rebellion broke out in northern
Chad, which continued to escalate throughout 2000. Despite movement
toward democratic reform, power remains in the hands of a northern
ethnic oligarchy.
Chad Geography
Location: Central Africa, south of Libya
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 19 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1.284 million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq km
water: 24,800 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of
California
Land boundaries: total: 5,968 km
border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197
km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical in south, desert in north
Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in
northwest, lowlands in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m
highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m
Natural resources: petroleum (unexploited but exploration under
way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)
Land use: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 36%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 35% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 140 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north;
periodic droughts; locust plagues
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water;
improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water
pollution; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Geography - note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant
water body in the Sahel
Chad People
Population: 8,707,078 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.73% (male 2,091,724; female 2,064,514)
15-64 years: 49.46% (male 2,035,099; female 2,271,389)
65 years and over: 2.81% (male 101,579; female 142,773) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.29% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 48.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 15.4 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 95.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 50.88 years
male: 48.86 years
female: 52.98 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.56 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.69% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 92,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 10,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Chadian(s)
adjective: Chadian
Ethnic groups: Muslims, commonly referred to as "northerners" or
"gorane" (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou,
Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba); non-Muslims, commonly
referred to as "southerners" (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye,
Moundang, Moussei, Massa) including nonindigenous 150,000 (of whom
1,000 are French)
note: ethnicity and regional background more commonly used to
identify Chadians than religious affiliation
Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs (mostly
animism) 25%
Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara and Sango (in
south), more than 100 different languages and dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or
Arabic
total population: 48.1%
male: 62.1%
female: 34.7% (1995 est.)
Chad Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad
local long form: Republique du Tchad
local short form: Tchad
Government type: republic
Capital: N'Djamena
Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular -
prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi,
Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi,
Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile
Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 11 August (1960)
Constitution: passed by referendum 31 March 1995
Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY
(since 4 December 1990)
head of government: Prime Minister Nagoum YAMASSOUM (since 13
December 1999)
cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on
the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year
term; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the
two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second
round of voting; last held 20 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY elected president; percent
of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 63%, Ngarlegy YORONGAR 16%, Saleh
KEBZABO 7%
note: government coalition - MPS, UNDR, and URD
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (125 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); replaces the
Higher Transitional Council or the Conseil Superieur de Transition
elections: National Assembly - last held in two rounds on 5 January
and 23 February 1997 (next to be held in late 2001); in the first
round of voting some candidates won clear victories by receiving 50%
or more of the vote; where that did not happen, the two highest
scoring candidates stood for a second round of voting
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
MPS 65, URD 29, UNDR 15, RDP 3, others 13
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts;
Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders: National Union for Development and
Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS
[Mahamat Saleh AHMAT, chairman] (originally in opposition but now
the party in power and the party of the president); Rally for
Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lal Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Renewal
and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU,
OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Hassaballah Abdelhadi Ahmat SOUBIANE
chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Christopher E. GOLDTHWAIT
embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena
mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena
telephone: [235] (51) 70-09, (51) 90-52, (51) 92-33
FAX: [235] (51) 56-54
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the
flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of
arms centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of
France
Chad Economy
Economy - overview: Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers
from its geographic remoteness, drought, lack of infrastructure, and
political turmoil. About 85% of the population depends on
agriculture, including the herding of livestock. Of Africa's
Francophone countries, Chad benefited least from the 50% devaluation
of their currencies in January 1994. Financial aid from the World
Bank, the African Development Fund, and other sources is directed
largely at the improvement of agriculture, especially livestock
production. The World Bank's decision to back the Doba oil field
development and the Chad-Cameroon pipeline will add Chad to the
group of already booming West African oil exporters. However, the
rank and file may not benefit much from the oil development projects.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40%
industry: 14%
services: 46% (1998)
Population below poverty line: 64% (1995 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 85% (subsistence farming,
herding, and fishing)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $198 million
expenditures: $218 million, including capital expenditures of $146
million (1998 est.)
Industries: cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron
(sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1995)
Electricity - production: 90 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 83.7 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice,
potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels
Exports: $172 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cotton, cattle, textiles
Exports - partners: Portugal 38%, Germany 12%, Thailand, Costa Rica,
South Africa, France (1999)
Imports: $223 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
industrial goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: France 40%, Cameroon 13%, Nigeria 12%, India 5%
(1999)
Debt - external: $1 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $238.3 million (1995); note - $125 million
committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African
Development Bank
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Chad Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 7,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: primitive system
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 1.67 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 10,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .td
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Chad Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 33,400 km
paved: 267 km
unpaved: 33,133 km (1996)
Waterways: 2,000 km
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 50 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 7
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 43
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)
Chad Military
Military branches: Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air Force,
and Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force,
Police, Rural and Nomadic Guard (GNNT)
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,814,578 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
949,997 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 82,003
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $39 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.5% (FY96)
Chad Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: delimitation of international boundaries
in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border
incidents in the past, has been completed and awaits ratification by
Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
======================================================================
@Chile
Chile Introduction
Background: A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in
1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, which
ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound
economic policies, first implemented by the PINOCHET dictatorship,
led to unprecedented growth in 1991-97 and have helped secure the
country's commitment to democratic and representative government.
Growth slowed in 1998-99, but recovered strongly in 2000.
Chile Geography
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean
and South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
Geographic coordinates: 30 00 S, 71 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 756,950 sq km
land: 748,800 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Land boundaries: total: 6,171 km
border countries: Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km
Coastline: 6,435 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200/350 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central
region; cool and damp in south
Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes
in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m
Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious
metals, molybdenum, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 55% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,650 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial and
vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear
Test Ban
Geography - note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel,
Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions
Chile People
Population: 15,328,467 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.25% (male 2,135,755; female 2,041,552)
15-64 years: 65.39% (male 4,993,416; female 5,029,739)
65 years and over: 7.36% (male 467,477; female 660,528) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.13% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 16.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 9.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.94 years
male: 72.63 years
female: 79.42 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.16 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.19% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean
Ethnic groups: white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other
2%
Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL%
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.2%
male: 95.4%
female: 95% (1995 est.)
Chile Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile
Government type: republic
Capital: Santiago
Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones, singular - region);
Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania,
Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins,
Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region
Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981, amended 30
July 1989, 1993, and 1997
Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and
subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Ricardo LAGOS Escobar
(since 11 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Ricardo LAGOS Escobar (since 11 March
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 12 December 1999, with runoff election held 16
January 2000 (next to be held NA December 2005)
election results: Ricardo LAGOS Escobar elected president; percent
of vote - Ricardo LAGOS Escobar 51.32%, Joaquin LAVIN 48.68%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of the Senate or Senado (48 seats, 38 elected by popular
vote and 10 appointed (all former presidents who served 6 years are
senators for life); members serve eight-year terms - one-half
elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de
Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 11 December 1997 (next to be held NA
December 2001); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 1997
(next to be held NA December 2001)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - CPD (PDC 14, PS 4, PPD 2), RN 7, UDI 10, UCCP 1,
independents 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
CPD 50.55% (PDC 22.98%, PS 11.10%, PPD 12.55%, PRSD 3.13%), RN
16.78%, UDI 14.43%; seats by party - CPD 70 (PDC 39, PPD 16, PRSD 4,
PS 11), RN 24, UDI 21, Socialist Party 1, right-wing independents 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are
appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of
candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the
Supreme Court is elected by the 21-member court); Constitutional
Tribunal
Political parties and leaders: Center-Center Union Party or UCCP
[Francisco Javier ERRAZURIZ]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[Ricardo HORMAZABAL]; Coalition of Parties for Democracy
("Concertacion") or CPD - including PDC, PS, PPD, PRSD; Independent
Democratic Union or UDI [Pablo LONGUEIRA]; National Renewal or RN
[Alberto CARDEMIL]; Party for Democracy or PPD [Guido GIRARDI];
Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Anselmo SULE]; Socialist
Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ]
Political pressure groups and leaders: revitalized university
student federations at all major universities; Roman Catholic
Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from
the country's five largest labor confederations
International organization participation: APEC, CCC, ECLAC, FAO,
G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH,
UNMOGIP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Andres BIANCHI
chancery: 1140 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746
FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John O'LEARY
embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago
mailing address: APO AA 34033
telephone: [56] (2) 232-2600
FAX: [56] (2) 339-3710
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red;
there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the
hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white
five-pointed star in the center; design was based on the US flag
Chile Economy
Economy - overview: Chile has a market-oriented economy
characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early
1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was
strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN -
which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic
reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP
averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998
because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current
account deficit in check and lower export earnings - the latter a
product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated
the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing
hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile
experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than
15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its
reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that
have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America.
By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to
recover, and growth rebounded to 5.5% in 2000. Unemployment remains
stubbornly high, however, putting pressure on President LAGOS to
improve living standards. Meanwhile, Chile has launched free trade
negotiations with the US.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $153.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8%
industry: 38%
services: 54% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 22% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.2%
highest 10%: 41.3% (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 5.8 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 14%, industry 27%, services
59% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9% (December 2000)
Budget: revenues: $16 billion
expenditures: $17 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing,
iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement,
textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 38.092 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 61%
hydro: 35%
nuclear: 0%
other: 4% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 35.426 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets,
potatoes, fruit; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber
Exports: $18 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: copper, fish, fruits, paper and pulp,
chemicals
Exports - partners: EU 27%, US 16%, Japan 14%, Brazil 6%, Argentina
5% (1998)
Imports: $17 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, chemicals, motor vehicles,
fuels, electrical machinery, heavy industrial machinery, food
Imports - partners: US 24%, EU 23%, Argentina 11%, Brazil 6%, Japan
6%, Mexico 5% (1998)
Debt - external: $39 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $40 million (2001 est.)
Currency: Chilean peso (CLP)
Currency code: CLP
Exchange rates: Chilean pesos per US dollar - 571.12 (January 2001),
535.47 (2000), 508.78 (1999), 460.29 (1998), 419.30 (1997), 412.27
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Chile Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.603 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 944,225 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system based on
extensive microwave radio relay facilities
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite
system with 3 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64, shortwave
17 (one inactive) (1998)
Radios: 5.18 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 3.15 million (1997)
Internet country code: .cl
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (2000)
Internet users: 625,000 (2000)
Chile Transportation
Railways: total: 6,701 km
broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1317 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 117 km 1.067-m gauge (28 km electrified); 3,754 km
1.000-m gauge (37 km electrified) (2000)
Highways: total: 79,800 km
paved: 11,012 km
unpaved: 68,788 km (1996)
Waterways: 725 km
Pipelines: crude oil 755 km; petroleum products 785 km; natural gas
320 km
Ports and harbors: Antofagasta, Arica, Chanaral, Coquimbo, Iquique,
Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Talcahuano,
Valparaiso
Merchant marine: total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
606,506 GRT/884,023 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 7, chemical tanker 8, container 4,
liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off
3, vehicle carrier 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 366 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 69
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 14 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 297
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 62
under 914 m: 219 (2000 est.)
Chile Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air, Coast Guard, and
Marines), Air Force, Carabineros of Chile (National Police),
Investigations Police
note: Carabineros and Investigations Police are normally
administered by the Ministry of Interior, but in times of national
emergency, they are considered part of the military
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,057,466 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
3,003,134 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 136,830
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.5 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.1% (FY99)
Chile Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to
the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in
1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial
claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps
Argentine and British claims
Illicit drugs: a growing transshipment country for cocaine destined
for the US and Europe; economic prosperity has made Chile more
attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits; imported
precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is
rising
======================================================================
@China
China Introduction
Background: For centuries China has stood as a leading civilization,
outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. But in the
first half of the 20th century, China was beset by major famines,
civil unrest, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World
War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship
that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls
over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people.
After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced
market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision making.
Output quadrupled in the next 20 years and China now has the world's
second largest GDP. Political controls remain tight even while
economic controls continue to weaken.
China Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay,
Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries: total: 22,147.24 km
border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km,
Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea
1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia
4,676.9 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast)
3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281
km
Coastline: 14,500 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,
deltas, and hills in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury,
tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite,
aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
Land use: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 14%
other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 498,720 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along
southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis;
earthquakes; droughts
Environment - current issues: air pollution (greenhouse gases,
sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal, produces acid
rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution
from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of
agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic
development; desertification; trade in endangered species
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine
Life Conservation
Geography - note: world's fourth-largest country (after Russia,
Canada, and US)
China People
Population: 1,273,111,290 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.01% (male 166,754,893; female
151,598,117)
15-64 years: 67.88% (male 445,222,858; female 418,959,646)
65 years and over: 7.11% (male 42,547,296; female 48,028,480) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.88% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 15.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.62 years
male: 69.81 years
female: 73.59 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.07% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 500,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 17,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan,
Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 2%-3%, Christian 1%
(est.)
note: officially atheist
Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the
Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei
(Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects,
minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81.5%
male: 89.9%
female: 72.7% (1995 est.)
China Government
Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhong Guo
abbreviation: PRC
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Beijing
Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural),
5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4
municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**,
Chongqing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan,
Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin,
Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong,
Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet),
Yunnan, Zhejiang; note - China considers Taiwan its 23rd province;
see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong
Kong and Macau
Independence: 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty 221
BC; Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12 February
1912; People's Republic established 1 October 1949)
National holiday: Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1
October (1949)
Constitution: most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
Legal system: a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely
criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987;
new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts
are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and
commercial law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President JIANG Zemin (since 27
March 1993) and Vice President HU Jintao (since 16 March 1998)
head of government: Premier ZHU Rongji (since 18 March 1998); Vice
Premiers QIAN Qichen (since 29 March 1993), LI Lanqing (29 March
1993), WU Bangguo (since 17 March 1995), and WEN Jiabao (since 18
March 1998)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress
(NPC)
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 16-18
March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); premier nominated by the
president, confirmed by the National People's Congress
election results: JIANG Zemin reelected president by the Ninth
National People's Congress with a total of 2,882 votes (36 delegates
voted against him, 29 abstained, and 32 did not vote); HU Jintao
elected vice president by the Ninth National People's Congress with
a total of 2,841 votes (67 delegates voted against him, 39
abstained, and 32 did not vote)
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo
Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,979 seats; members elected by municipal,
regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held NA December 1997-NA February 1998 (next to be
held late 2002-NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the
National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher,
intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily
military, maritime, and railway transport courts)
Political parties and leaders: Chinese Communist Party or CCP [JIANG
Zemin, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight registered
small parties controlled by CCP
Political pressure groups and leaders: no substantial political
opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the
Falungong sect and the China Democracy Party as potential rivals
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CCC, CDB
(non-regional), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer),
OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate YANG Jiechi
chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and
San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Joseph W. PRUEHER
embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3431
FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6422
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang
Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four
smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward
the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner
China Economy
Economy - overview: In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving
the economy from a sluggish Soviet-style centrally planned economy
to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within
a political framework of strict Communist control, the economic
influence of non-state managers and enterprises has been steadily
increasing. The authorities have switched to a system of household
responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization,
increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in
industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprise in
services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to
increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a
quadrupling of GDP since 1978. In 2000, with its 1.26 billion people
but a GDP of just $3,600 per capita, China stood as the second
largest economy in the world after the US (measured on a purchasing
power parity basis). Agricultural output doubled in the 1980s, and
industry also posted major gains, especially in coastal areas near
Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment helped spur
output of both domestic and export goods. On the darker side, the
leadership has often experienced in its hybrid system the worst
results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism
(windfall gains and stepped-up inflation). Beijing thus has
periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at
intervals. The government has struggled to (a) collect revenues due
from provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) reduce corruption
and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned
enterprises many of which had been shielded from competition by
subsides and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and
pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift
between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through
part-time low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central
policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's
population control program, which is essential to maintaining growth
in living standards. Another long-term threat to continued rapid
economic growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air
pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table
especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because
of erosion and economic development. Weakness in the global economy
in 2001 could hamper growth in exports. Beijing will intensify
efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure--such
as water control and power grids--and poverty relief and through
rural tax reform aimed at eliminating arbitrary local levies on
farmers.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.5 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%
industry: 50%
services: 35% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 10% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.4%
highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 700 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, industry 24%, services
26% (1998)
Unemployment rate: urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial
unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments,
textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers,
footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics,
telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate: 10% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 1.173 trillion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 79.82%
hydro: 18.98%
nuclear: 1.2%
other: 0.01% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.084 trillion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 7.2 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 90 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts,
tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish
Exports: $232 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment; textiles and
clothing, footwear, toys and sporting goods; mineral fuels
Exports - partners: US 21%, Hong Kong 18%, Japan 17%, South Korea,
Germany, Netherlands, UK, Singapore, Taiwan (2000)
Imports: $197 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, mineral fuels,
plastics, iron and steel, chemicals
Imports - partners: Japan 18%, Taiwan 11%, US 10%, South Korea 10%,
Germany, Hong Kong, Russia, Malaysia (2000)
Debt - external: $162 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: yuan (CNY)
Currency code: CNY
Exchange rates: yuan per US dollar - 8.2776 (January 2001), 8.2785
(2000), 8.2783 (1999), 8.2790 (1998), 8.2898 (1997), 8.3142 (1996)
note: beginning 1 January 1994, the People's Bank of China quotes
the midpoint rate against the US dollar based on the previous day's
prevailing rate in the interbank foreign exchange market
Fiscal year: calendar year
China Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 135 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 65 million (January 2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic and international
services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly
distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial
centers, and many towns
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and
1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international
fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and
Germany (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)
Radios: 417 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by
China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations and nearly
3,000 are local city stations) (1997)
Televisions: 400 million (1997)
Internet country code: .cn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 22 million (January 2001)
China Transportation
Railways: total: 67,524 km (including 5,400 km of provincial
"local" rails)
standard gauge: 63,924 km 1.435-m gauge (13,362 km electrified;
20,250 km double track)
narrow gauge: 3,600 km 0.750-m and 1.000-m gauge local industrial
lines (1998 est.)
note: a new total of 68,000 km was estimated for early 1999 to take
new construction programs into account (1999)
Highways: total: 1.4 million km
paved: 271,300 km (with at least 16,000 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,128,700 km (1999)
Waterways: 110,000 km (1999)
Pipelines: crude oil 9,070 km; petroleum products 560 km; natural
gas 9,383 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu,
Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao,
Shanghai, Shantou, Tianjin, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang
Merchant marine: total: 1,745 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
16,533,521 GRT/24,746,859 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 324, cargo 825, chemical
tanker 21, combination bulk 11, combination ore/oil 1, container
132, liquefied gas 24, multi-functional large-load carrier 5,
passenger 7, passenger/cargo 45, petroleum tanker 258, refrigerated
cargo 22, roll on/roll off 23, short-sea passenger 41, specialized
tanker 3, vehicle carrier 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 489 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 324
over 3,047 m: 27
2,438 to 3,047 m: 88
1,524 to 2,437 m: 147
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 165
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 29
914 to 1,523 m: 56
under 914 m: 78 (2000 est.)
China Military
Military branches: People's Liberation Army (PLA) - which includes
Ground Forces, Navy (includes Marines and Naval Aviation), Air
Force, Second Artillery Corps (the strategic missile force),
People's Armed Police (internal security troops, nominally
subordinate to Ministry of Public Security, but included by the
Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an
adjunct to the PLA in wartime)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 366,306,353
(2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
200,886,946 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males:
10,089,458 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12.608 billion (FY99); note
- China's real defense spending may be several times higher than the
official figure because a number of significant items are funded
elsewhere
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99)
China Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: most of boundary with India in dispute;
dispute over at least two small sections of the boundary with Russia
remains to be settled, despite 1997 boundary agreement; portions of
the boundary with Tajikistan are indefinite; 33-km section of
boundary with North Korea in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is
indefinite; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands
with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei;
maritime boundary agreement with Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin
awaits ratification; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed
by Vietnam and Taiwan; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto
(Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does Taiwan
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for heroin produced in the
Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country
for chemical precursors and methamphetamine
======================================================================
@Christmas Island
Christmas Island Introduction
Background: Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island
was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate
mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to
Australia in 1958. The phosphate mine, closed in 1987, was reopened
four years later, but the need for an alternative industry has
spurred investment in tourism. Old mining areas are being restored,
and almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national
park.
Christmas Island Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of
Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 10 30 S, 105 40 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 138.9 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 12 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Terrain: steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Natural resources: phosphate
Land use: arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
note: mainly tropical rainforest of which 60%-70% is in a national
park
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can
be a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
Christmas Island People
Population: 2,771 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%
Population growth rate: 7.77% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island
Ethnic groups: Chinese 61%, Malay 25%, European 11%, other 3%, no
indigenous population
Religions: Buddhist 55%, Christian 15%, Muslim 10%, other 20% (1991)
Languages: English, Chinese, Malay
Christmas Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island
Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and
Territories
Government type: NA
Capital: The Settlement
Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)
Independence: none (territory of Australia)
National holiday: NA
Constitution: Christmas Island Act of 1958
Legal system: under the authority of the governor general of
Australia and Australian law
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator William Leonard TAYLOR (since 4
February 1999)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed
by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and
Australia
Legislative branch: unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve one-year terms)
elections: last held NA December 2000 (next to be held NA December
2001)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia)
Flag description: the flag of Australia is used
Christmas Island Economy
Economy - overview: Phosphate mining had been the only significant
economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government
closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened by union workers.
With the support of the government, Australian-based Casinos Austria
International Ltd. built a $34 million casino on Christmas Island,
which opened in 1993. As of yearend 1999, gaming facilities at the
casino were temporarily closed but were expected to reopen in early
2000. Another economic prospect is the possible location of a
space-launching site on the island.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: tourism 400 people, mining 100 people
(1995)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: NA
Exports: $NA
Exports - commodities: phosphate
Exports - partners: Australia, NZ
Imports: $NA
Imports - commodities: consumer goods
Imports - partners: principally Australia
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code: AUD
Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January
2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997),
1.2773 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Christmas Island Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth
station provides telephone and telex service
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 1,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: 600 (1997)
Internet country code: .cx
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Christmas Island Transportation
Railways: 24 km to serve phosphate mines
Highways: total: 140 km (not including 100 km that is maintained by
private industry)
paved: 30 km
unpaved: 110 km (1999)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Flying Fish Cove
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Christmas Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia
Christmas Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island Introduction
Background: This isolated island was named for John CLIPPERTON, a
pirate who made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by
France in 1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration
eventually awarded the island to France, which took possession in
1935.
Clipperton Island Geography
Location: Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km
southwest of Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 10 17 N, 109 13 W
Map references: World
Area: total: 7 sq km
land: 7 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 12 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 11.1 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical, humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, rains
May-October
Terrain: coral atoll
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all coral)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: reef about 8 km in circumference
Clipperton Island People
Population: uninhabited (July 2001 est.)
Clipperton Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Clipperton Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Clipperton
former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by France from
French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Clipperton Island Economy
Economy - overview: Although 115 species of fish have been
identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only
economic activity is tuna fishing.
Clipperton Island Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Clipperton Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Clipperton Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Introduction
Background: The islands were discovered in 1609, but remained
uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they
were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The
population on the two inhabited islands is split between the mostly
Europeans on West Island and the Malays on Home Island.
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean,
south of Indonesia, about one-half of the way from Australia to Sri
Lanka
Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 96 50 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island
Area - comparative: about 24 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 2.6 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: pleasant, modified by the southeast trade winds for about
nine months of the year; moderate rainfall
Terrain: flat, low-lying coral atolls
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: cyclones may occur in the early months of the year
Environment - current issues: fresh water resources are limited to
rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs
Geography - note: two coral atolls thickly covered with coconut
palms and other vegetation
Cocos (Keeling) Islands People
Population: 633 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%
Population growth rate: -0.21% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander
Ethnic groups: Europeans, Cocos Malays
Religions: Sunni Muslim 57%, Christian 22%, other 21% (1981 est.)
Languages: English, Malay
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling)
Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and
Territories
Government type: NA
Capital: West Island
Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)
Independence: none (territory of Australia)
National holiday: NA
Constitution: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955
Legal system: based upon the laws of Australia and local laws
Suffrage: NA
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (non-resident) William Leonard
TAYLOR (since 4 February 1999)
cabinet: NA
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed
by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and
Australia
Legislative branch: unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council
(NA seats)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia)
Flag description: the flag of Australia is used
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Economy
Economy - overview: Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the
sole cash crop. Copra and fresh coconuts are the major export
earners. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food
supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be
imported from Australia.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society
Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage
workers; tourism employs others
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: copra products and tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts
Exports: $NA
Exports - commodities: copra
Exports - partners: Australia
Imports: $NA
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Australia
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code: AUD
Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January
2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997),
1.2773 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with
Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 satellite earth station of
NA type
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 300 (1992)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .cc
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 15 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; lagoon anchorage only
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Colombia
Colombia Introduction
Background: Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged
from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador
and Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the
Colombian Government escalated during the 1990s, undergirded in part
by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and
large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence, the
movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to
overthrow the government. While Bogota continues to try to negotiate
a settlement, neighboring countries worry about the violence
spilling over their borders.
Colombia Geography
Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea,
between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean,
between Ecuador and Panama
Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 72 00 W
Map references: South America, Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 1,138,910 sq km
land: 1,038,700 sq km
water: 100,210 sq km
note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and
Serranilla Bank
Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of
Montana
Land boundaries: total: 6,004 km
border countries: Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km,
Peru 1,496 km (est.), Venezuela 2,050 km
Coastline: 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean
1,448 km)
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes
Mountains, eastern lowland plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m
note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel,
gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 39%
forests and woodland: 48%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,300 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional
earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil damage from
overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from
vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping
Geography - note: only South American country with coastlines on
both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
Colombia People
Population: 40,349,388 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.88% (male 6,507,282; female 6,354,454)
15-64 years: 63.37% (male 12,452,182; female 13,117,707)
65 years and over: 4.75% (male 859,967; female 1,057,796) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.64% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 22.41 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.69 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 23.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.57 years
male: 66.71 years
female: 74.55 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.66 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.31% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 71,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,700 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Colombian(s)
adjective: Colombian
Ethnic groups: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed
black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.3%
male: 91.2%
female: 91.4% (1995 est.)
Colombia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Colombia
conventional short form: Colombia
local long form: Republica de Colombia
local short form: Colombia
Government type: republic; executive branch dominates government
structure
Capital: Bogota
Administrative divisions: 32 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas,
Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta,
Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia,
Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de
Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia,
Distrito Capital de Santa Fe de Bogota*, Santander, Sucre, Tolima,
Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada
Independence: 20 July 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 20 July (1810)
Constitution: 5 July 1991
Legal system: based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled
after US procedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of
executive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Andres PASTRANA (since
7 August 1998); Vice President Gustavo BELL Lemus (since 7 August
1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Andres PASTRANA (since 7 August
1998); Vice President Gustavo BELL Lemus (since 7 August 1998); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet Cabinet consists of a coalition of the two
dominant parties - the PL and PSC - and independents
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 31 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2002); vice
president elected by popular vote for a four-year term in a new
procedure that replaces the traditional designation of vice
presidents by newly elected presidents; election last held 31 May
1998 (next to be held NA May 2002)
election results: no candidate received more than 50% of the total
vote, therefore, a run-off election to select a president from the
two leading candidates was held 21 June 1998; Andres PASTRANA
elected president; percent of vote - 50.3%; Gustavo BELL elected
vice president; percent of vote - 50.3%
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the
Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de
Representantes (163 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 8 March 1998 (next to be held NA
March 2002); House of Representatives - last held 8 March 1998 (next
to be held NA March 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PL 50%, PSC
24%, smaller parties (many aligned with conservatives) 26%; seats by
party - PL 58, PSC 28, smaller parties 16; House of Representatives
- percent of vote by party - PL 52%, PSC 17%, other 31%; seats by
party - PL 98, PSC 52, indigenous parties 2, others 11
Judicial branch: four, coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme
Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justical (highest court of
criminal law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Higher
Council of Justice for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest
court of administrative law, judges are selected from the nominees
of the Higher Council of Justice for eight-year terms);
Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the
constitution, rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the
constitution, and international treaties); Higher Council of Justice
(administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; members of the
disciplinary chamber resolve jurisdictional conflicts arising
between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and
Congress for eight-year terms)
Political parties and leaders: Conservative Party or PSC [Ciro
RAMIREZ Anzon]; Liberal Party or PL [Luis Guillermo VELEZ];
Patriotic Union or UP is a legal political party formed by
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and Colombian
Communist Party or PCC [Jaime CAICEDO]; 19 of April Movement or M-19
[Antonio NAVARRO Wolff]
Political pressure groups and leaders: two largest insurgent groups
active in Colombia - National Liberation Army or ELN and
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC; largest paramilitary
group is United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC
International organization participation: BCIE, CAN, Caricom
(observer), CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G- 3, G-11, G-24, G-77, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES,
LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Luis Alberto MORENO Mejia
chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338
FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and
Washington, DC
consulate(s): Atlanta
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Anne W. PATTERSON
embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831
mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038
telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811
FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197
Flag description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top,
double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which
is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the
center
Colombia Economy
Economy - overview: Colombia is poised for muted growth in the next
several years, marking continued recovery from the severe 1999
recession when GDP fell by about 4%. President PASTRANA's
well-respected economic team is working to keep the economy on
track, maintaining low interest rates, for example. In accordance
with its IMF loan agreement, the administration also is taking steps
to improve the public sector's fiscal health. However, many
challenges to improved prosperity remain. Unemployment was stuck at
a record 20% in 2000, contributing to the extreme inequality in
income distribution. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil and
coffee, face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to
offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices
are depressed. The lack of public security is a key concern for
investors, making progress in the government's peace negotiations
with insurgent groups an important driver of economic performance.
Colombia is looking for continued support from the international
community to boost economic and peace prospects.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $250 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19%
industry: 26%
services: 55% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 55% (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 44% (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (2000)
Labor force: 18.3 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry
24% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 20% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $22 billion
expenditures: $24 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear,
beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
Industrial production growth rate: 11% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 43.574 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 22.27%
hydro: 76.19%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.54% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 40.532 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 27 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 35 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco,
corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products;
shrimp
Exports: $14.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas,
cut flowers
Exports - partners: US 50%, EU 14%, Andean Community of Nations 16%,
Japan 2% (2000 est.)
Imports: $12.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: industrial equipment, transportation
equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels,
electricity
Imports - partners: US 35%, EU 16%, Andean Community of Nations 15%,
Japan 5% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $34 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $40.7 million (1995)
Currency: Colombian peso (COP)
Currency code: COP
Exchange rates: Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,241.43 (January
2001), 2087.90 (2000), 1,756.23 (1999), 1,426.04 (1998), 1,140.96
(1997), 1,036.69 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Colombia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,433,565 (December 1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,800,229 (December 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system in many respects
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic
satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking
50 cities
international: satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3
fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999)
Radios: 21 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 60 (includes seven low-power
stations) (1997)
Televisions: 4.59 million (1997)
Internet country code: .co
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 18 (2000)
Internet users: 600,000 (2000)
Colombia Transportation
Railways: total: 3,304 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge (connects Cerrejon coal mines
to maritime port at Bahia de Portete)
narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (major sections not in use)
(2000)
Highways: total: 110,000 km
paved: 26,000 km
unpaved: 84,000 km (2000)
Waterways: 18,140 km (navigable by river boats) (April 1996)
Pipelines: crude oil 3,585 km; petroleum products 1,350 km; natural
gas 830 km; natural gas liquids 125 km
Ports and harbors: Bahia de Portete, Barranquilla, Buenaventura,
Cartagena, Leticia, Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco,
Turbo
Merchant marine: total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
53,322 GRT/69,444 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 4, container 1, multi-functional
large-load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1,091 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 92
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 38
914 to 1,523 m: 36
under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 999
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 64
914 to 1,523 m: 321
under 914 m: 613 (2000 est.)
Colombia Military
Military branches: Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional,
includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Colombiana), National Police (Policia Nacional)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 10,779,148 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
7,205,211 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 379,295
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY00)
Colombia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela
in the Gulf of Venezuela; territorial disputes with Nicaragua over
Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of coca, opium poppies, and
cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in
1999 - 122,500 hectares, a 20.3% increase over 1998); cultivation of
opium in 1999 increased to 7,500 hectares from 6,100 hectares in
1998; potential production of opium in 1999 - 75 metric tons, a 25%
increase over 1998; potential production of heroin in 1999 - nearly
8 metric tons, as compared with 6 tons in 1998; the world's largest
processor of coca derivatives into cocaine; supplier of about 90% of
the cocaine to the US and the great majority of cocaine to other
international drug markets, and an important supplier of heroin to
the US market; active aerial eradication program
======================================================================
@Comoros
Comoros Introduction
Background: Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups
since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands
of Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. In
1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He has pledged to
resolve the secessionist crisis through the 2000 Fomboni Accord, a
confederal arrangement that the Organization of African Unity has
yet to recognize.
Comoros Geography
Location: Southern Africa, group of islands in the Mozambique
Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and
northern Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 44 15 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 2,170 sq km
land: 2,170 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than 12 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 340 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Terrain: volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to
low hills
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 35%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 30% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: cyclones possible during rainy season (December to
April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
Environment - current issues: soil degradation and erosion results
from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing;
deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: important location at northern end of Mozambique
Channel
Comoros People
Population: 596,202 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.81% (male 127,955; female 127,267)
15-64 years: 54.26% (male 159,560; female 163,949)
65 years and over: 2.93% (male 8,326; female 9,145) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.02% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 39.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.35 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 84.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.41 years
male: 58.2 years
female: 62.68 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.32 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.12% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Comoran(s)
adjective: Comoran
Ethnic groups: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Religions: Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%
Languages: Arabic (official), French (official), Comoran (a blend of
Swahili and Arabic)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.3%
male: 64.2%
female: 50.4% (1995 est.)
Comoros Government
Country name: conventional long form: Federal Islamic Republic of
the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros
local long form: Republique Federale Islamique des Comores
local short form: Comores
Government type: independent republic
Capital: Moroni
Administrative divisions: 3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja),
Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four
municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou
Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
Constitution: 20 October 1996
Legal system: French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since
6 May 1999); note - the interim government of President Tajiddine
Ben Said MASSOUNDE, which had assumed power on 6 November 1998 upon
the death of President Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim, was overthrown in a
bloodless coup on 30 April 1999
head of government: Prime Minister Hamada MADI (since late November
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 6 and 16 March 1996 (next to be held NA); prime
minister appointed by the president
note: President AZALI claimed a one-year term at the time of the
coup; but elections, promised for spring 2000, were not held
election results: results of the last presidential election before
the coup were: Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim elected president; percent of
vote - 64.3%
Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (15
seats: five from each island); members selected by regional councils
for six-year terms) and a Federal Assembly or Assemblee Federale (43
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms);
note - the Federal Assembly was dissolved following the coup of 30
April 1999
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 1 and 8 December 1996 (next
to be held NA)
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - RND 39, FNJ 3, independent 1
note: the constitution stipulates that only parties that win six
seats in the Federal Assembly (two from each island) are permitted
to be in opposition, but if no party accomplishes that, the second
most successful party will be in opposition; in the elections of
December 1996 the FNJ appeared to qualify as opposition
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members
appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal
Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are
former presidents of the republic)
Political parties and leaders: Front National pour la Justice or FNJ
(Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed Abdallah MOHAMED, Ahmed
ABOUBACAR, Soidiki M'BAPANOZA]; Rassemblement National pour le
Development or RND (party of the government) [Ali Bazi SELIM]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD,
AL, CCC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Deputy
Permanent Representative Mahmoud Mohamed ABOUD (acting)
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Federal
and Islamic Republic of the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East
50th Street, New York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (212) 972-8010
FAX: [1] (212) 983-4712
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to
Comoros
Flag description: green with a white crescent in the center of the
field, its points facing downward; there are four white five-pointed
stars placed in a line between the points of the crescent; the
crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam;
the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago -
Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of
France, but claimed by Comoros); the design, the most recent of
several, is described in the constitution approved by referendum on
7 June 1992
Comoros Economy
Economy - overview: One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is
made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links,
a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural
resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes
to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and
a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance.
Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, is the
leading sector of the economy. It contributes 40% to GDP, employs
80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The
country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main
staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government is
struggling to upgrade education and technical training, to privatize
commercial and industrial enterprises, to improve health services,
to diversify exports, to promote tourism, and to reduce the high
population growth rate. Continued foreign support is essential if
the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from
150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $419 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $720 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40%
industry: 4%
services: 56% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1999)
Labor force: 144,500 (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%
Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $48 million
expenditures: $53 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)
Industries: tourism, perfume distillation, textiles, furniture,
jewelry, construction materials, soft drinks
Industrial production growth rate: -2% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 17 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 88.24%
hydro: 11.76%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 15.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra,
coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)
Exports: $7.9 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil,
copra
Exports - partners: France 50%, Germany 25% (1998)
Imports: $55.1 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods;
petroleum products, cement, transport equipment
Imports - partners: France 38%, Pakistan 13%, South Africa 8%, Kenya
8% (1998)
Debt - external: $197 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $28.1 million (1997)
Currency: Comoran franc (KMF)
Currency code: KMF
Exchange rates: Comoran francs per US dollar - 524.41 (January
2001), 533.98 (2000), 461.77 (1999), 442.46 (1998), 437.75 (1997),
383.66 (1996)
note: prior to January 1999, the official rate was pegged to the
French franc at 75 Comoran francs per French franc; since 1 January
1999, the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677
Comoran francs per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Comoros Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 6,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: sparse system of microwave
radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
international: HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and
Reunion
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 90,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1998)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .km
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 800 (2000)
Comoros Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 880 km
paved: 673 km
unpaved: 207 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,122
GRT/29,817 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Comoros Military
Military branches: Comoran Security Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 141,120 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
83,920 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Comoros Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims French-administered Mayotte; the
island of Anjouan (Nzwani) has moved to secede from Comoros
======================================================================
@Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Introduction
Background: Since 1994 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC;
formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war,
touched off by a massive inflow of refugees from the fighting in
Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese
Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997;
his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and
Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe,
Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa
regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999, but sporadic
fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his
son Joseph KABILA was named head of state. The new president quickly
began overtures to end the war.
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Geography
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 2,345,410 sq km
land: 2,267,600 sq km
water: 77,810 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Land boundaries: total: 10,744 km
border countries: Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African
Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km,
Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 473 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline: 37 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler
and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern
highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry
season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November
to March, dry season April to October
Terrain: vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley)
5,110 m
Natural resources: cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial
and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium,
uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
Land use: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 77%
other: 13% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: poaching threatens wildlife
populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees who arrived in
mid-1994 were responsible for significant deforestation, soil
erosion, and wildlife poaching in the eastern part of the country
(most of those refugees were repatriated in November and December
1996)
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note: straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that
controls the lower Congo river and is only outlet to South Atlantic
Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern
highlands
Congo, Democratic Republic of the People
Population: 53,624,718
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 48.24% (male 12,988,488; female
12,878,232)
15-64 years: 49.21% (male 12,931,886; female 13,459,109)
65 years and over: 2.55% (male 575,113; female 791,890) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.1% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 46.02 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 15.15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: one million refugees fled into Zaire (now called the
Democratic Republic of the Congo or DROC) in 1994 to escape the
fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis; fighting in the DROC
between rebels and government forces in October 1996 caused 875,000
refugees to return to Rwanda in late 1996 and early 1997; an
additional 173,000 Rwandan refugees disappeared in early 1997 and
are assumed to have been killed by Zairian forces; fighting between
the Congolese government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese
rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8
million Congolese displaced in DROC and caused 300,000 Congolese
refugees to flee to surrounding countries
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 99.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.94 years
male: 46.96 years
female: 50.98 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.84 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.07% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 95,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo
Ethnic groups: over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority
are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu),
and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%,
Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
Languages: French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade
language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo,
Tshiluba
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write French,
Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba
total population: 77.3%
male: 86.6%
female: 67.7% (1995 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Government
Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the
Congo
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo
local short form: none
former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville,
Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
abbreviation: DROC
Government type: dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to
representative government
Capital: Kinshasa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provinces, singular -
province) and one city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur,
Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema,
Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu
Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Constitution: 24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February
1978, amended April 1990; transitional constitution promulgated in
April 1994; in November 1998, a draft constitution was approved by
former President Laurent KABILA but it has not been ratified by a
national referendum
Legal system: based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: Joseph KABILA (since 26 January
2001); note - the president succeeded his father Laurent Desire
KABILA after his assassination on 16 January 2001; as president he
is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note -
the president succeeded his father Laurent Desire KABILA after his
assassination on 16 January 2001; as president he is both chief of
state and head of government
cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president
elections: before Laurent Desire KABILA seized power, the president
was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last
held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997);
formerly, the prime minister was elected by the High Council of the
Republic; note - elections were not held in 1991 as called for by
the constitution
election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese
Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without
opposition
note: Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga was
president from 24 November 1965 until forced into exile on 16 May
1997 when his government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Desire
KABILA, who immediately assumed governing authority; KABILA pledged
to hold elections by April 1999, but in December 1998 announced that
elections would be postponed until all foreign military forces
attempting to topple the government had withdrawn from the country;
KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded by his son
Joseph KABILA
Legislative branch: a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly
established in August 2000
elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly
were appointed by former President KABILA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Social Christian Party or
PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR
[leader NA]; Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA];
Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI
wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or
UFERI [Kouyoumba MUCHULI Mulembe]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC,
CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA,
SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Faida MITIFU
chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
William Lacy SWING
embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa
mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828
telephone: [243] (12) 21804, 21807
FAX: [243] (88) 43805
Flag description: light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star
in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow
five-pointed stars along the hoist side
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Economy
Economy - overview: The economy of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined
drastically since the mid-1980s. The new government instituted a
tight fiscal policy that initially curbed inflation and currency
depreciation, but these small gains were quickly reversed when the
foreign-backed rebellion in the eastern part of the country began in
August 1998. The war has dramatically reduced national output and
government revenue and has increased external debt. Foreign
businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the
outcome of the conflict and because of increased government
harassment and restrictions. The war has intensified the impact of
such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption,
raging inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy
and financial operations. A number of IMF and World Bank missions
have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic
plan but associated reforms are on hold.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -15% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 58%
industry: 17%
services: 25% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 540% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 14.51 million (1993 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services
19% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $269 million
expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24
million (1996 est.)
Industries: mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing,
consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes,
processed foods and beverages), cement
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 5.268 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.05%
hydro: 97.95%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 4.55 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 404 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 55 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea,
quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn,
fruits; wood products
Exports: $960 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil
Exports - partners: Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland,
Italy (1999)
Imports: $660 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, mining and other machinery,
transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners: South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya
7%, China (1999)
Debt - external: $13 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $195.3 million (1995)
Currency: Congolese franc (CDF)
Currency code: CDF
Exchange rates: Congolese francs per US dollar - 50 (January 2001),
4.5 (January 2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997), 0.50
(1996)
note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing
the new zaire
Fiscal year: calendar year
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 21,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,900 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in
and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 12, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios: 18.03 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 20 (1999)
Televisions: 6.478 million (1997)
Internet country code: .cd
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 1,500 (1999)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Transportation
Railways: total: 5,138 km (1995)
note: severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to
facilities by civil strife
narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km
1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: 15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and
unconnected lakes)
Pipelines: petroleum products 390 km
Ports and harbors: Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie,
Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 232 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 24
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 208
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 96
under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Presidential
Security Group
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 11,615,554 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
5,915,251 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $250 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.6% (FY97)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: the Democratic Republic of the Congo is in
the grip of a civil war that has drawn in military forces from
neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda supporting the rebel
movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of the state; most
of the Congo river boundary with the Republic of the Congo is
indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the
river or its islands, except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area)
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic
consumption
======================================================================
@Congo, Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the Introduction
Background: Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of
Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of
experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a
democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil
war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO.
Congo, Republic of the Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,
between Angola and Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 342,000 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km
water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 5,504 km
border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African
Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon
1,903 km
Coastline: 169 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to
October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly
enervating climate astride the Equator
Terrain: coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern
basin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Natural resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium,
copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 29%
forests and woodland: 62%
other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: seasonal flooding
Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions;
water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not
potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer
Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville,
Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Congo, Republic of the People
Population: 2,894,336
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.43% (male 618,411; female 609,633)
15-64 years: 54.23% (male 765,501; female 804,125)
65 years and over: 3.34% (male 38,772; female 57,894) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.2% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 38.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 16.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 99.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.57 years
male: 44.38 years
female: 50.85 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.43% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 86,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 8,600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo
Ethnic groups: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%,
Europeans NA%; note - Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French,
before the 1997 civil war; may be half that of 1998, following the
widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997
Religions: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Languages: French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca
trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which
Kikongo has the most users)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.9%
male: 83.1%
female: 67.2% (1995 est.)
Congo, Republic of the Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique du Congo
local short form: none
former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
Government type: republic
Capital: Brazzaville
Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regions, singular - region) and
1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou,
Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Constitution: Draft constitution approved by transitional parliament
in September 2000
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO
(since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled
elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25
October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected
president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 16 August 1992 (next was to be held 27 July 1997
but will be delayed for several years pending the drafting of a new
constitution)
election results: Pascal LISSOUBA elected president in 1992;
percent of vote - Pascal LISSOUBA 61.3%, Bernard KOLELAS 38.7%; note
- LISSOUBA was deposed in 1997, replaced by Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO
Legislative branch: unicameral National Transitional Council (75
seats, members elected by reconciliation forum of 1,420 delegates on
NA January 1998); note - the National Transitional Council replaced
the bicameral Parliament
elections: National Transitional Council - last held NA January
1998 (next to be held NA 2001); note - at that election the National
Transitional Council is to be replaced by a bicameral assembly
election results: National Transitional Council - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: the most important of the many
parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance
of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or
PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and
Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union
for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president];
Association for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre
Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and
Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union
for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Union of Democratic
Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Congolese Trade Union
Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or
UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of
Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: (vacant);
Charge d'Affaires ad interim Serge MOMBOULI
chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
David H. KAEUPER
embassy: NA
mailing address: NA
telephone: [243] (88) 43608
FAX: [243] (88) 41036
note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310
Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)
Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a
yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower
triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Congo, Republic of the Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is a mixture of village agriculture
and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support
services, and a government characterized by budget problems and
overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the
economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports.
In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the
government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP
growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa.
Moreover, the government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its
oil earnings, contributing to the government's shortage of revenues.
The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50%
resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided
since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of
international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The
reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted.
Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in
October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on
economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with
international financial institutions. However, economic progress was
badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed
conflict in December 1998, which worsened the Republic of the
Congo's budget deficit. Even with the IMF's renewed confidence and
high world oil prices, Congo is unlikely to realize growth of more
than 5% in 2001-02. With the return to fragile peace, the IMF
approved a $14 million credit in November 2000 to aid post-conflict
reconstruction.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10%
industry: 48%
services: 42% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $870 million
expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum extraction, cement kilning, lumbering,
brewing, sugar milling, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarette making
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 302 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.66%
hydro: 99.34%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 406.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 126 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn,
peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Exports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: petroleum 50%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa,
coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners: US 23%, Benelux 14%, Germany, Italy, Taiwan,
China (1998)
Imports: $870 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, capital equipment,
construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: France 23%, US 9%, Belgium 8%, UK 7%, Italy
(1997 est.)
Debt - external: $5 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $159.1 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Congo, Republic of the Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 22,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,000 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: services barely adequate for
government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and
Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out-of-order
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios: 341,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1999)
Televisions: 33,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Congo, Republic of the Transportation
Railways: total: 894 km
narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 12,800 km
paved: 1,242 km
unpaved: 11,558 km (1996)
Waterways: 1,120 km
note: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers provide 1,120 km of
commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for
local traffic only
Pipelines: crude oil 25 km
Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Airports: 33 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
Congo, Republic of the Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 684,922 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
347,946 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 32,350
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $110 million (FY93)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (FY93)
Congo, Republic of the Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: most of the Congo river boundary with the
Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has
been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in
the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area)
======================================================================
@Cook Islands
Cook Islands Introduction
Background: Named after Captain Cook, who sighted them in 1770, the
islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900,
administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965
residents chose self-government in free association with New
Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and
government deficits are continuing problems.
Cook Islands Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean,
about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 21 14 S, 159 46 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 240 sq km
land: 240 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 120 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain: low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Te Manga 652 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 78% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons (November to March)
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Cook Islands People
Population: 20,611 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Cook Islander(s)
adjective: Cook Islander
Ethnic groups: Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%, Polynesian and
European 7.7%, Polynesian and non-European 7.7%, European 2.4%,
other 0.9%
Religions: Christian (majority of populace are members of the Cook
Islands Christian Church)
Languages: English (official), Maori
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 95%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Cook Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cook Islands
former: Harvey Islands
Dependency status: self-governing in free association with New
Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New
Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs, in consultation
with the Cook Islands
Government type: self-governing parliamentary democracy
Capital: Avarua
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: none (became self-governing in free association with
New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move
to full independence by unilateral action)
National holiday: Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)
Constitution: 4 August 1965
Legal system: based on New Zealand law and English common law
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Apenera SHORT (since NA); New Zealand
High Commissioner Jon JONESSEN (since NA January 1998),
representative of New Zealand
head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Terepai MAOATE (since 18
November 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Norman GEORGE (since NA)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively
responsible to Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative
is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is
appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative
elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats usually
becomes prime minister
note: ten years of rule by the Cook Islands Party (CIP) came to an
end 18 November 1999 with the resignation of Prime Minister Joe
WILLIAMS; WILLIAMS had led a minority government since October 1999
when the New Alliance Party (NAP) left the government coalition and
joined the main opposition Democratic Alliance Party (DAP); on 18
November 1999, DAP leader Dr. Terepai MAOATE was sworn in as prime
minister
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (25 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held NA June 1999 (next to be held by NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
CIP 12, DAP 12, NAP 1
note: the House of Ariki (chiefs) advises on traditional matters,
but has no legislative powers
Judicial branch: High Court
Political parties and leaders: Cook Islands People's Party or CIP
[Tai CARPENTER]; Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Terepai MAOATE];
New Alliance Party or NAP [Norman GEORGE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, ESCAP
(associate), FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
IOC, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing in free
association with New Zealand)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing in free
association with New Zealand)
Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed
stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag
Cook Islands Economy
Economy - overview: Like many other South Pacific island nations,
the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation
of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic
markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from
natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture
provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and
citrus fruit. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit
processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are made up
for by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly
from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond
its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a
large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state
assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement
of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled
investment and growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $100 million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18%
industry: 9%
services: 73% (1995)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 6,601 (1993)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 29%, industry 15%, services
56% (1995) note - shortage of skilled labor
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $25 million
expenditures: $23 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY 99/00)
Industries: fruit processing, tourism, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 21 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 19.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans,
pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry
Exports: $3 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus
fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing
Exports - partners: Japan 42%, New Zealand 25%, US 9%, Australia 9%
(1999)
Imports: $85 million (c.i.f., 1994)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital
goods
Imports - partners: NZ 70%, Australia 8% (1999)
Debt - external: $141 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $13.1 million (1995); note - New Zealand
continues to furnish the greater part
Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code: NZD
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.2502 (January
2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997),
1.4543 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Cook Islands Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1994)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of
satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF
radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small
exchanges connected to subscribers by open wire, cable, and
fiber-optic cable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 14,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus eight low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ck
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Cook Islands Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 320 km (1992)
paved: NA
unpaved: NA
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Avarua, Avatiu
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,310
GRT/2,181 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Cook Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in
consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
Cook Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Coral Sea Islands
Coral Sea Islands Introduction
Background: Scattered over some 1 million square kilometers of
ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia
in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological
staff on Willis Island. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a
lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs.
Coral Sea Islands Geography
Location: Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia
Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S, 152 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: less than 3 sq km
land: less than 3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a
sea area of about 1 million sq km, with the Willis Islets the most
important
Area - comparative: NA
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3,095 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: occasional tropical cyclones
Environment - current issues: no permanent fresh water resources
Geography - note: important nesting area for birds and turtles
Coral Sea Islands People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological
station (July 2001 est.)
Coral Sea Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands
Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories
Legal system: the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply
Executive branch: administered from Canberra by the Department of
the Environment, Sport, and Territories
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia)
Flag description: the flag of Australia is used
Coral Sea Islands Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Coral Sea Islands Communications
Communications - note: there are automatic weather stations on many
of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland
Coral Sea Islands Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Coral Sea Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited
regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over
the activities of visitors
Coral Sea Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Costa Rica
Costa Rica Introduction
Background: Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since
the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have
marred its democratic development. Although still a largely
agricultural country, it has achieved a relatively high standard of
living. Land ownership is widespread. Tourism is a rapidly expanding
industry.
Costa Rica Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the
North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 51,100 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Coastline: 1,290 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April);
rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Natural resources: hydropower
Land use: arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic
coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and
landslides; active volcanoes
Environment - current issues: deforestation and land use change,
largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and
agriculture; soil erosion; water pollution (rivers); coastal marine
pollution; wetlands degradation; fisheries protection; solid waste
management; air pollution
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine
Life Conservation
Costa Rica People
Population: 3,773,057 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.38% (male 605,728; female 578,128)
15-64 years: 63.37% (male 1,209,084; female 1,181,754)
65 years and over: 5.25% (male 92,314; female 106,049) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.65% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 20.27 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.02 years
male: 73.49 years
female: 78.68 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.54% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 750 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican
Ethnic groups: white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian
1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, other Protestant
0.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Languages: Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.8%
male: 94.7%
female: 95% (1995 est.)
Costa Rica Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica
conventional short form: Costa Rica
local long form: Republica de Costa Rica
local short form: Costa Rica
Government type: democratic republic
Capital: San Jose
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon,
Puntarenas, San Jose
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 7 November 1949
Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ
(since 8 May 1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL Volio (since
8 May 1998), Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO Benito (since 8
May 1998); note - president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (since 8 May
1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL Volio (since 8 May 1998),
Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO Benito (since 8 May 1998); note
- president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president
elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 1 February
1998 (next to be held 3 February 2002)
election results: Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ elected president; percent
of vote - Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (PUSC) 46.6%, Jose Miguel CORRALES
(PLN) 44.6%
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea
Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 1 February 1998 (next to be held 3 February
2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - PUSC 41%, PLN 35%,
minority parties 24%; seats by party - PUSC 27, PLN 23, minority
parties 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are
elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Agricultural Labor Action or PALA
[Carlos Alberto SOLIS Blanco]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC
[Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Jose M. NUNEZ];
Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National
Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Alejandro MADRIGAL]; National
Independent Party or PNI [Jorge GONZALEZ Marten]; National
Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National
Liberation Party or PLN [Sonia PICADO]; Social Christian Unity Party
or PUSC [Luis Manuel CHACON]
note: mainly a two-party system - PUSC and PLN; numerous small
parties share less than 25% of population's support
Political pressure groups and leaders: Authentic Confederation of
Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of
Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist
Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or
CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Federation of Public Service
Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or
ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or
CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert Brown]
International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein
chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San
Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa
consulate(s): Austin
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Thomas J. DODD
embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose
mailing address: APO AA 34020
telephone: [506] 220-3939
FAX: [506] 220-2305
Flag description: five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red
(double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white
disk on the hoist side of the red band
Costa Rica Economy
Economy - overview: Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on
tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been
substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social
safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain
attracted by the country's political stability and high education
levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. However,
traditional export sectors have not kept pace. Low coffee prices and
an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The
government continues to grapple with its large deficit and massive
internal debt and with the need to modernize the state-owned
electricity and telecommunications sector.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $25 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.5%
industry: 30.7%
services: 56.8% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 20.6% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.3%
highest 10%: 34.7% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.9 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services
58% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.2% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.95 billion
expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing,
construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (2000)
Electricity - production: 5.805 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.41%
hydro: 83.32%
nuclear: 0%
other: 14.27% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 5.303 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 165 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 69 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn,
rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Exports: $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles,
electronic components, medical equipment
Exports - partners: US 54.1%, EU 21.3%, Central America 8.6% (1999)
Imports: $5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, consumer goods, capital
equipment, petroleum
Imports - partners: US 56.4%, EU 9%, Mexico 5.4%, Japan 4.7%, (1999)
Debt - external: $4.2 billion (2000 est.)
Currency: Costa Rican colon (CRC)
Currency code: CRC
Exchange rates: Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 318.95 (2001),
308.19 (2000), 285.68 (1999), 257.23 (1998), 232.60 (1997), 207.69
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Costa Rica Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 450,000 (1998)
note: 584,000 installed in 1997, but only about 450,000 were in use
1998
Telephones - mobile cellular: 143,000 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: very good domestic telephone
service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: connected to Central American Microwave System;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two
submarine cables (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 50, FM 43, shortwave 19 (1998)
Radios: 980,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 6 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 525,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (of which only one is legal)
(2000)
Internet users: 150,000 (2000)
Costa Rica Transportation
Railways: total: 950 km
narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2000)
Highways: total: 37,273 km
paved: 7,827 km
unpaved: 29,446 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 730 km (seasonally navigable)
Pipelines: petroleum products 176 km
Ports and harbors: Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto
Quepos, Puntarenas
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,716
GRT/NA DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 152 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 29
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 123
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 95 (2000 est.)
Costa Rica Military
Military branches: Coast Guard, Air Section, Ministry of Public
Security Force (Fuerza Publica)
note: Costa Rica has no military, only domestic police forces,
including the Coast Guard and Air Section
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,035,090 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
692,973 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 39,411
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $69 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (FY99)
Costa Rica Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: legal dispute over navigational rights of
Rio San Juan on border with Nicaragua
Illicit drugs: transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from
South America; illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered
plots; domestic cocaine consumption is rising, particularly crack
cocaine; those who previously only trafficked are now becoming users
======================================================================
@Cote d'Ivoire
Cote d'Ivoire Introduction
Background: Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the
development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment
made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical
African states. Falling cocoa prices and political turmoil, however,
sparked an economic downturn in 1999 and 2000. On 25 December 1999,
a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history -
overthrew the government led by President Henri Konan BEDIE.
Presidential and legislative elections held in October and December
2000 provoked violence due to the exclusion of opposition leader
Alassane OUATTARA. In October 2000, Laurent GBAGBO replaced junta
leader Robert GUEI as president, ending 10 months of military rule.
Cote d'Ivoire Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Ghana and Liberia
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 322,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km,
Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
Coastline: 515 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons
- warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot
and wet (June to October)
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron
ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 41%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 680 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during
the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Environment - current issues: deforestation (most of the country's
forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily
logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural
effluents
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Cote d'Ivoire People
Population: 16,393,221
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.21% (male 3,802,397; female 3,773,455)
15-64 years: 51.57% (male 4,343,518; female 4,110,805)
65 years and over: 2.22% (male 180,463; female 182,583) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.51% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 40.38 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 16.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: after Liberia's civil war started in 1990, more than 350,000
refugees fled to Cote d'Ivoire; by the end of 1999 most Liberian
refugees were assumed to have returned
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 93.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 44.93 years
male: 43.58 years
female: 46.33 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 10.76% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 760,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 72,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ivorian(s)
adjective: Ivorian
Ethnic groups: Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes
16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (1998)
Religions: Christian 34%, Muslim 27%, no religion 21%, animist 15%,
other 3% (1998)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim
(70%) and Christian (20%)
Languages: French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the
most widely spoken
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.5%
male: 57%
female: 40%
Cote d'Ivoire Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire
local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire
local short form: Cote d'Ivoire
former: Ivory Coast
Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime
established 1960
Capital: Yamoussoukro; note - although Yamoussoukro has been the
official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative
center; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in
Abidjan
Administrative divisions: 50 departments (departements, singular -
departement); Abengourou, Abidjan, Aboisso, Adzope, Agboville,
Agnibilekrou, Bangolo, Beoumi, Biankouma, Bondoukou, Bongouanou,
Bouafle, Bouake, Bouna, Boundiali, Dabakala, Daloa, Danane, Daoukro,
Dimbokro, Divo, Duekoue, Ferkessedougou, Gagnoa, Grand-Lahou,
Guiglo, Issia, Katiola, Korhogo, Lakota, Man, Mankono, Mbahiakro,
Odienne, Oume, Sakassou, San-Pedro, Sassandra, Seguela, Sinfra,
Soubre, Tabou, Tanda, Tingrela, Tiassale, Touba, Toumodi, Vavoua,
Yamoussoukro, Zuenoula
note: Cote d'Ivoire may have a new administrative structure
consisting of 58 departments; the following additional departments
have been reported but not yet confirmed by the US Board on
Geographic Names (BGN); Adiake', Ale'pe', Dabon, Grand Bassam,
Jacqueville, Tiebissou, Toulepleu, Bocanda
Independence: 7 August (1960) (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 August (1960)
Constitution: 3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times, last
time 27 July 1998
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since
26 October 2000); note - took power following a popular overthrow of
the interim leader Gen. Robert GUEI who had claimed a dubious
victory in presidential elections; Gen. GUEI himself had assumed
power on 25 December 1999, following a military coup against the
government of former President Henri Konan BEDIE
head of government: Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and
Development Affi N'GUESSAN (since 27 October 2000) appointed by the
president
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 26 October 2000 (next is scheduled to be held NA
2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote
- Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other
2.2%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and
multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections
on 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2
note: a Senate is scheduled to be created in the next full election
in 2005
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four
chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for
financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases,
and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit
to the number of members
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Cote
d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Aime Henri Konan
BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian
Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Rally of the Republicans or
RDR [Henriette DAGRI-DIABATE]; Union for Democracy and Peace [Gen.
Robert GUEI]; over 20 smaller parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC (observer), OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WADB (regional), WAEMU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Youssouf BAMBA
chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
George MU
embassy: 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan
mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01
telephone: [225] 20 21 09 79
FAX: [225] 20 22 32 59
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side),
white, and green; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer
and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange;
also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side),
white, and red; design was based on the flag of France
Cote d'Ivoire Economy
Economy - overview: Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest
producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil.
Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in
international prices for these products and to weather conditions.
Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still
largely dependent on agriculture and related activities, which
engage roughly 68% of the population. After several years of lagging
performance, the Ivorian economy began a comeback in 1994, due to
the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc and improved prices for cocoa
and coffee, growth in nontraditional primary exports such as
pineapples and rubber, limited trade and banking liberalization,
offshore oil and gas discoveries, and generous external financing
and debt rescheduling by multilateral lenders and France. Moreover,
government adherence to donor-mandated reforms led to a jump in
growth to 5% annually in 1996-99. Growth was negative in 2000
because of the difficulty of meeting the conditions of international
donors, continued low prices of key exports, and post-coup
instability. In 2001-02, a moderate rebound in the cocoa market
could boost growth back above 3%; however, political instability
could impede growth again.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $26.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -0.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32%
industry: 18%
services: 50% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.1%
highest 10%: 28.8% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 68% agricultural (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 13% in urban areas (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $2.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $420
million (2000 est.)
Industries: foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining,
truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials,
electricity
Industrial production growth rate: 15% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production: 4.06 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 75.37%
hydro: 24.63%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 3.183 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 593 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels,
corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber;
timber
Exports: $3.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cocoa 33%, coffee, tropical woods, petroleum,
cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton, fish (1999)
Exports - partners: France 15%, US 8%, Netherlands 7%, Germany 6%,
Italy 6% (1999)
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods; capital goods, fuel,
transport equipment
Imports - partners: France 26%, Nigeria 10%, China 7%, Italy 5%,
Germany 4% (1999)
Debt - external: $13.9 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $1 billion (1996 est.)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Cote d'Ivoire Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 219,283 (31 December 1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 322,500 (May 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: well developed by African
standards but operating well below capacity
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 coaxial submarine cables (June 1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 8, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 2.26 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 14 (1999)
Televisions: 900,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ci
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Cote d'Ivoire Transportation
Railways: total: 660 km
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge; 25 km double track
note: an additional 600 km of this railroad extends into Burkina
Faso, ending at Kaya, north of Ouagadougou (2000)
Highways: total: 50,400 km
paved: 4,889 km
unpaved: 45,511 km (1996)
Waterways: 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal
lagoons)
Ports and harbors: Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,200
GRT/1,500 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 36 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie,
Republican Guard (includes Presidential Guard), Sapeur-Pompier
(Military Fire Group)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,851,432 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,010,862 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 188,411
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $94 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY96)
Cote d'Ivoire Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local
consumption; transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian
heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US, and for Latin American
cocaine destined for Europe
======================================================================
@Croatia
Croatia Introduction
Background: In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a
kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II,
Yugoslavia became an independent communist state under the strong
hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence
from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often
bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared
from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision the last Serb-held enclave
in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998.
Croatia Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates: 45 10 N, 15 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 56,542 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km
water: 128 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 2,028 km
border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km,
Yugoslavia 266 km, Slovenia 501 km
Coastline: 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: Mediterranean and continental; continental climate
predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry
summers along coast
Terrain: geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border,
low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Dinara 1,830 m
Natural resources: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore,
calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues: air pollution (from metallurgical
plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal
pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and
reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: controls most land routes from Western Europe to
Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits
Croatia People
Population: 4,334,142 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.16% (male 403,722; female 383,151)
15-64 years: 66.61% (male 1,452,872; female 1,434,086)
65 years and over: 15.23% (male 245,727; female 414,584) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.48% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.82 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 11.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 13.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.9 years
male: 70.28 years
female: 77.73 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Croat(s)
adjective: Croatian
Ethnic groups: Croat 78.1%, Serb 12.2%, Bosniak 0.9%, Hungarian
0.5%, Slovenian 0.5%, Czech 0.4%, Albanian 0.3%, Montenegrin 0.3%,
Roma 0.2%, others 6.6% (1991)
Religions: Roman Catholic 76.5%, Orthodox 11.1%, Muslim 1.2%,
Protestant 0.4%, others and unknown 10.8% (1991)
Languages: Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian,
Czech, Slovak, and German)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 99%
female: 95% (1991 est.)
Croatia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local long form: Republika Hrvatska
local short form: Hrvatska
Government type: presidential/parliamentary democracy
Capital: Zagreb
Administrative divisions: 20 counties (zupanije, zupanija -
singular), 1 city (grad -singular)*: Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska
Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska
Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija, Karlovacka Zupanija,
Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija, Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija,
Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska
Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija, Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija,
Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija, Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija,
Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija, Varazdinska Zupanija,
Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija, Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija,
Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka Zupanija
Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: Republic Day/Statehood Day, 30 May (1990)
Constitution: adopted on 22 December 1990
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC
(since 18 February 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ivica RACAN (since 27 January
2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Goran GRANIC (since 27 January 2000),
Zeljka ANTUNOVIC (since 27 January 2000), Slavko LINIC (since 27
January 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and
approved by the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 7 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister nominated by the president in line with the balance of
power in the Assembly
election results: Stjepan MESIC elected president; percent of vote
- Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 56%, Drazen BUDISA (HSLS) 44%
note: government coalition - SDP, HSLS, HSS, LP, HNS, IDS
Legislative branch: bicameral Assembly or Sabor consists of the
House of Counties or Zupanijski Dom (68 seats, 63 directly elected
by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members serve
four-year terms; note - House of Counties to be abolished in 2001)
and House of Representatives or the Zastupnicki Dom (151 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Counties - last held 13 April 1997; House of
Representatives - last held 2-3 January 2000 (next to be held NA
2004)
election results: House of Counties - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - HDZ 42, HSLS/HSS 11, HSS 2, IDS 2, SDP/PGS/HNS
2, SDP/HNS 2, HSLS/HSS/HNS 1, HSLS 1; note - in some districts
certain parties ran as coalitions, while in others they ran alone;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - HDZ 46, SDP 44, HSLS 24, HSS 17, HSP/HKDU 5, IDS 4, HNS 2,
independents 4, minority representatives 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for
both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council
of the Republic, which is elected by the House of Representatives
Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Croatian Coast and
Mountains Department or PGS [Luciano SUSANJ]; Croatian Christian
Democratic Union or HKDU [Marko VESELICA]; Croatian Democratic Union
or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Dobroslav
PARAGA]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian
People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party
or HSLS [Drazen BUDISA]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS
[Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan
JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LP [leader NA]; Social Democratic Party
of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]
note: the Social Democratic Party or SDP and the Croatian Social
Liberal Party or HSLS formed a coalition as did the HSS, HNS, LP,
and IDS, which together defeated the Croatian Democratic Union or
HDZ in the 2000 lower house parliamentary election
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ivan GRDESIC
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899
FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Lawrence G. ROSSIN
embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, 100000 Zagreb
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [385] (1) 455-55-00
FAX: [385] (1) 455-85-85
Flag description: red, white, and blue horizontal bands with
Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)
Croatia Economy
Economy - overview: Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the
Republic of Croatia, after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and
industrialized area, with a per capita output perhaps one-third
above the Yugoslav average. Croatia faces considerable economic
problems stemming from: the legacy of longtime communist
mismanagement of the economy; damage during the internecine fighting
to bridges, factories, power lines, buildings, and houses; the large
refugee and displaced population, both Croatian and Bosnian; and the
disruption of economic ties. Stepped-up Western aid and investment,
especially in the tourist and oil industries, would help bolster the
economy. The economy emerged from its mild recession in 2000 with
tourism the main factor. Massive unemployment remains a key negative
element. The government's failure to press the economic reforms
needed to spur growth is largely the result of coalition politics
and public resistance, particularly from the trade unions, to
measures that would cut jobs, wages, or social benefits.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $24.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10%
industry: 19%
services: 71% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 4% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.68 million (October 2000)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 22% (October 2000)
Budget: revenues: $6 billion
expenditures: $4.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal,
electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper,
wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding,
petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 1.7% (2000)
Electricity - production: 10.96 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.89%
hydro: 59%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.11% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 13.643 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 1 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 4.45 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed,
alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soy beans, potatoes;
livestock, dairy products
Exports: $4.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: transport equipment, textiles, chemicals,
foodstuffs, fuels
Exports - partners: Italy 18%, Germany 15.7%, Bosnia and Herzegovina
12.8%, Slovenia 10.6%, Austria 6.2% (1999)
Imports: $7.8 billion (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport and electrical
equipment, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Germany 18.5%, Italy 15.9%, Russia 8.6%,
Slovenia 7.9%, Austria 7.1% (1999)
Debt - external: $9.9 billion (December 1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: kuna (HRK)
Currency code: HRK
Exchange rates: kuna per US dollar - 8.089 (January 2001), 8.277
(2000), 7.112 (1999), 6.362 (1998), 6.101 (1997), 5.434 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Croatia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.488 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 187,000 (yearend 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog
circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be
included in the plan for the main trunk
international: digital international service is provided through
the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project which consists of two
fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk
line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing
in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania, and
Greece (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)
Radios: 1.51 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September
1995)
Televisions: 1.22 million (1997)
Internet country code: .hr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2000)
Internet users: 100,000 (1999)
Croatia Transportation
Railways: total: 2,296 km
standard gauge: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (983 km electrified) (2000)
Highways: total: 27,840 km
paved: 23,497 km (including 330 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,343 km (1998)
Waterways: 785 km
note: (perennially navigable; large sections of Sava blocked by
downed bridges, silt, and debris)
Pipelines: crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas
310 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Dubrovnik, Dugi Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula,
Rijeka, Sibenik, Split, Vukovar (inland waterway port on Danube),
Zadar
Merchant marine: total: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
631,853 GRT/969,739 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1, combination
bulk 5, container 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 3,
passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll
off 4, short-sea passenger 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 67 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 22
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Croatia Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense
Forces
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,085,877 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
859,621 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 30,037
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $575 million (2000)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (2000)
Croatia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Croatia and Italy made progress toward
resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property
and ethnic minority rights; progress with Slovenia on discussions of
adjustments to land boundary, but problems remain in defining
maritime boundary in Gulf of Piran; Croatia and Yugoslavia are
negotiating the status of the strategically important Prevlaka
Peninsula, which is currently under a UN military observer mission
(UNMOP)
Illicit drugs: transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest
Asian heroin to Western Europe; a minor transit point for maritime
shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe
======================================================================
@Cuba
Cuba Introduction
Background: Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his
iron rule has held the country together since. Cuba's communist
revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin
America and Africa during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The country is
now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990,
following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4
billion to $6 billion annually. Havana portrays its difficulties as
the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration
to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, or falsified
visas - is a continuing problem. Some 3,000 Cubans took to the
Straits of Florida in 2000; the US Coast Guard interdicted only
about 35% of these.
Cuba Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida
Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N, 80 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 110,860 sq km
land: 110,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total: 29 km
border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains
part of Cuba
Coastline: 3,735 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to
April); rainy season (May to October)
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and
mountains in the southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese,
salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 27%
forests and woodland: 24%
other: 18% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 9,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August
to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane
every other year); droughts are common
Environment - current issues: pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting
threatens wildlife populations; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: largest country in Caribbean
Cuba People
Population: 11,184,023 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.99% (male 1,205,159; female 1,142,070)
15-64 years: 69.14% (male 3,876,432; female 3,855,878)
65 years and over: 9.87% (male 511,589; female 592,895) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.37% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.36 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.41 years
male: 74.02 years
female: 78.94 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.03% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,950 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 120 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Cuban(s)
adjective: Cuban
Ethnic groups: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
Religions: nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming
power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also
represented
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.7%
male: 96.2%
female: 95.3% (1995 est.)
People - note: illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans
attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts,
alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; some 3,000
Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in 2000; the US Coast Guard
interdicted about 35% of these migrants; Cubans also use
non-maritime routes to enter the US; some 2,400 Cubans arrived
overland via the southwest border and direct flights to Miami
Cuba Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Havana
Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial);
Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma,
Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas,
Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa
Clara
Independence: 20 May 1902 (from US)
National holiday: Independence Day, 10 October (1868); note - 10
October 1868 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is
the date of independence from US administration
Constitution: 24 February 1976, amended July 1992
Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large elements
of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President of the Council of State
and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime
minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was
abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of
the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of
Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President of the Council of State and President
of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from
February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished;
president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the
Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of
Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the
Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly; note - there
is also a Council of State whose members are elected by the National
Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
Assembly; election last held 24 February 1998 (next election
unscheduled)
election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of
legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president;
percent of legislative vote - 100%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly of People's Power
or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (601 seats, elected directly
from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 January 1998 (next to be held in 2003)
election results: percent of vote - PCC 94.39%; seats - PCC 601
Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular
(president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the
National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: only party - Cuban Communist Party or
PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since
1962), OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Cuba has an
Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer
Fernando REMIREZ DE ESTENOZ; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss
Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1]
(202) 797-8518
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - the US has an
Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer
Vicki HUDDLESTON; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L
and M Streets, Vedado Seccion, Havana; telephone: 33-3551 through
3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: 33-3700; protecting power
in Cuba is Switzerland
Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and
bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on
the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center;
design influenced by the US flag
Cuba Economy
Economy - overview: The government, the primary player in the
economy, has undertaken limited reforms in recent years to stem
excess liquidity, increase enterprise efficiency, and alleviate
serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services, but
prioritizing of political control makes extensive reforms unlikely.
Living standards for the average Cuban, without access to dollars,
remain at a depressed level compared with 1990. The liberalized
farmers' markets introduced in 1994, sell above-quota production at
market prices, expand legal consumption alternatives, and reduce
black market prices. Income taxes and increased regulations
introduced since 1996 have sharply reduced the number of legally
self-employed from a high of 208,000 in January 1996. Havana
announced in 1995 that GDP declined by 35% during 1989-93 as a
result of lost Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The slide in
GDP came to a halt in 1994 when Cuba reported growth in GDP of 0.7%.
Cuba reported that GDP increased by 2.5% in 1995 and 7.8% in 1996,
before slowing down in 1997 and 1998 to 2.5% and 1.2% respectively.
Growth recovered with a 6.2% increase in GDP in 1999 and a 5.6%
increase in 2000. Much of Cuba's recovery can be attributed to
tourism revenues and foreign investment. Growth in 2001 should
continue at the same level as the government balances the need for
economic loosening against its concern for firm political control.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $19.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7%
industry: 37%
services: 56% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.3% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 4.3 million (2000 est.)
note: state sector 75%, non-state sector 25% (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 25%, industry 24%, services
51% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $13.5 billion
expenditures: $14.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: sugar, petroleum, tobacco, chemicals, construction,
services, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 14.358 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 94.2%
hydro: 0.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 5.1% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 13.353 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice,
potatoes, beans; livestock
Exports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical
products, citrus, coffee
Exports - partners: Russia 23%, Netherlands 23%, Canada 13% (1999)
Imports: $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals,
semifinished goods, transport equipment, consumer goods
Imports - partners: Spain 18%, Venezuela 13%, Canada 8% (1999)
Debt - external: $11.1 billion (convertible currency, 1999); another
$15 billion -$20 billion owed to Russia (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $68.2 million (1997 est.)
Currency: Cuban peso (CUP)
Currency code: CUP
Exchange rates: Cuban pesos per US dollar - 1.0000 (nonconvertible,
official rate, for international transactions, pegged to the US
dollar); convertible peso sold for domestic use at a rate of 1.00 US
dollar per 22 pesos by the Government of Cuba (January 2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Cuba Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 473,031 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,994 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial
cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la
Juventud; 2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old,
US-built; the other newer, Soviet-built); both analog and digital
mobile cellular service established
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic
Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 3.9 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 58 (1997)
Televisions: 2.64 million (1997)
Internet country code: .cu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2001)
Internet users: 60,000 (2000)
Cuba Transportation
Railways: total: 11,969 km
standard gauge: 4,807 km 1.435-m gauge (147 km electrified)
note: in addition to the 4,807 km of standard gauge track in public
use, 7,162 km of track is in private use by sugar plantations; about
90% of the private use track is standard gauge and the rest is
narrow gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 60,858 km
paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (1997)
Waterways: 240 km
Ports and harbors: Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas,
Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba
Merchant marine: total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
54,821 GRT/78,062 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker
1, refrigerated cargo 5 (2000 est.)
Airports: 171 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 77
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 35 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 94
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 63 (2000 est.)
Cuba Military
Military branches: Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) includes ground
forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force
(DAAFAR), Territorial Troops Militia (MTT), and Youth Labor Army
(EJT); the Border Guard (TGF) is controlled by the Interior Ministry
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,090,633
females age 15-49: 3,029,274 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,911,160
females age 15-49: 1,867,958 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 79,562
females: 85,650 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: roughly 4% (FY95 est.)
Military - note: Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and
supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993
Cuba Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased
to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can
terminate the lease
Illicit drugs: territorial waters and air space serve as
transshipment zone for cocaine bound for the US and Europe;
established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999
======================================================================
@Cyprus
Cyprus Introduction
Background: Independence from the UK was approved in 1960 with
constitutional guarantees by the Greek Cypriot majority to the
Turkish Cypriot minority. In 1974, a Greek-sponsored attempt to
seize the government was met by military intervention from Turkey,
which soon controlled almost 40% of the island. In 1983, the
Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus", but it is recognized only by Turkey. UN-led talks on the
status of Cyprus resumed in December 1999 to prepare the ground for
meaningful negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement.
Cyprus Geography
Location: Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of
Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish
Cypriot area)
land: 9,240 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 648 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool,
winters
Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered
but significant plains along southern coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Olympus 1,951 m
Natural resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt,
marble, clay earth pigment
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 13%
other: 70% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: moderate earthquake activity; droughts
Environment - current issues: water resource problems (no natural
reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water
intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the
north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal
degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants
Cyprus People
Population: 762,887 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.95% (male 89,532; female 85,518)
15-64 years: 66.26% (male 255,368; female 250,140)
65 years and over: 10.79% (male 35,864; female 46,465) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.59% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.08 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.89 years
male: 74.6 years
female: 79.3 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.93 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Cypriot(s)
adjective: Cypriot
Ethnic groups: Greek 78% (99.5% of the Greeks live in the Greek
Cypriot area; 0.5% of the Greeks live in the Turkish Cypriot area),
Turkish 18% (1.3% of the Turks live in the Greek Cypriot area; 98.7%
of the Turks live in the Turkish Cypriot area), other 4% (99.2% of
the other ethnic groups live in the Greek Cypriot area; 0.8% of the
other ethnic groups live in the Turkish Cypriot area)
Religions: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian
Apostolic, and other 4%
Languages: Greek, Turkish, English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94%
male: 98%
female: 91% (1987 est.)
Cyprus Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus
conventional short form: Cyprus
note: the Turkish Cypriot area refers to itself as the "Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC)
Government type: republic
note: a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the
island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this
separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in
July 1974 after a Greek junta-based coup attempt gave the Turkish
Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the
only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983
Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and
the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC),
recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly support a settlement
based on a federation (Greek Cypriot position) or confederation
(Turkish Cypriot position)
Capital: Nicosia
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca,
Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's
administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of
Famagusta, and small parts of Lefkosa (Nicosia) and Larnaca
Independence: 16 August 1960 (from UK); note - Turkish Cypriot area
proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish
Cypriot area celebrates 15 November (1983) as Independence Day
Constitution: 16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a
new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better
relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held
intermittently; in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own
constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated
State of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus" in 1983; a new constitution for the Turkish Cypriot
area passed by referendum on 5 May 1985
Legal system: based on common law, with civil law modifications
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Glafcos CLERIDES (since
28 February 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government; post of vice president is currently vacant;
under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish
Cypriot
head of government: President Glafcos CLERIDES (since 28 February
1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the
1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed jointly by the president
and vice president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 15 February 1998 (next to be held NA February
2003)
election results: Glafcos CLERIDES reelected president; percent of
vote - Glafcos CLERIDES 50.8%, George IAKOVOU 49.2%
note: Rauf R. DENKTASH has been "president" of the Turkish Cypriot
area since 13 February 1975 ("president" elected by popular vote for
a five-year term); elections last held 15 April 2000 (next to be
held NA April 2005); results - Rauf R. DENKTASH reelected president
after the other contender withdrew; Dervis EROGLU has been "prime
minister" of the Turkish Cypriot area since 16 August 1996; there is
a Council of Ministers (cabinet) in the Turkish Cypriot area
Legislative branch: unicameral - Greek Cypriot area: House of
Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to the
Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned
to Greek Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms); Turkish Cypriot area: Assembly of the
Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Greek Cypriot area: last held 27 May 2001 (next to be
held NA May 2006); Turkish Cypriot area: last held 6 December 1998
(next to be held NA December 2003)
election results: Greek Cypriot area: House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - AKEL (Communist)
20, DISY 19, DIKO 9, KISOS 4, others 4; Turkish Cypriot area:
Assembly of the Republic - percent of vote by party - UBP 40.3%, DP
22.6%, TKP 15.4%, CTP 13.4%, UDP 4.6%, YBH 2.5%, BP 1.2%; seats by
party - UBP 24, DP 13, TKP 7, CTP 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the Supreme
Council of Judicature)
note: there is also a Supreme Court in the Turkish Cypriot area
Political parties and leaders: Greek Cypriot area: Democratic Party
or DIKO [Tassos PAPADOPOULOS]; Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos
ANASTASIADHIS]; Restorative Party of the Working People or AKEL
(Communist Party) [Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS]; Social Democrats Movement
or KISOS (formerly United Democratic Union of Cyprus or EDEK)
[Vassos LYSSARIDIS]; United Democrats Movement or EDE (formerly Free
Democrats Movement or KED) [George VASSILIOU]; Turkish Cypriot area:
Communal Liberation Party or TKP [Mustafa AKINCI]; Democratic Party
or DP [Salih COSAR]; National Birth Party or UDP [Enver EMIN];
National Unity Party or UBP [Dervis EROGLU]; Our Party or BP [Okyay
SADIKOGLU]; Patriotic Unity Movement or YBH [Izzet IZCAN];
Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Mehmet ALI TALAT]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Cypriot
Workers or SEK (pro-West); Confederation of Revolutionary Labor
Unions or Dev-Is; Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions or
Turk-Sen; Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation or PEO (Communist controlled)
International organization participation: Australia Group, C, CCC,
CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, NSG, OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Erato KOZAKOU-MARCOULLIS
chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-5772
FAX: [1] (202) 483-6710
consulate(s) general: New York
note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot area in the US is Ahmet
ERDENGIZ; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone [1]
(202) 887-6198
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Donald K. BANDLER
embassy: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, Engomi, 2407
Nicosia
mailing address: P. O. Box 4536, FPO AE 09836
telephone: [357] (2) 776400
FAX: [357] (2) 780944
Flag description: white with a copper-colored silhouette of the
island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper)
above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag;
the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between
the Greek and Turkish communities
note: the Turkish Cypriot flag has a horizontal red stripe at the
top and bottom between which is a red crescent and red star on a
white field
Cyprus Economy
Economy - overview: Economic affairs are affected by the division of
the country. The Greek Cypriot economy is prosperous but highly
susceptible to external shocks. Erratic growth rates in the 1990s
reflect the economy's vulnerability to swings in tourist arrivals,
caused by political instability on the island and fluctuations in
economic conditions in Western Europe. Economic policy is focused on
meeting the criteria for admission to the EU. As in the Turkish
sector, water shortage is a growing problem, and several
desalination plants are planned. The Turkish Cypriot economy has
about one-fifth the population and one-third the per capita GDP of
the south. Because it is recognized only by Turkey, it has had much
difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have
hesitated to invest there. It remains heavily dependent on
agriculture and government service, which together employ about half
of the work force. Moreover, the small, vulnerable economy has
suffered because the Turkish lira is legal tender. To compensate for
the economy's weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to
tourism, education, industry, etc.
GDP: Greek Cypriot area: purchasing power parity - $9.7 billion
(2000 est.); Turkish Cypriot area: purchasing power parity - $830
million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: Greek Cypriot area: 4.2% (2000 est.);
Turkish Cypriot area: 4.9% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: Greek Cypriot area: purchasing power parity -
$16,000 (2000 est.); Turkish Cypriot area: purchasing power parity -
$5,300 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: Greek Cypriot area: agriculture 6.3%,
industry 22.4%, services 71.3% (1998); Turkish Cypriot area:
agriculture 11.8%, industry 20.5%, services 67.7% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Greek Cypriot area: 4.2% (2000
est.); Turkish Cypriot area: 58% (1999 est.)
Labor force: Greek Cypriot area: 291,000; Turkish Cypriot area:
86,300 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: Greek Cypriot area: services 73%,
industry 22%, agriculture 5% (2000); Turkish Cypriot area: services
56.4%, industry 22.8%, agriculture 20.8% (1998)
Unemployment rate: Greek Cypriot area: 3.6% (2000 est.); Turkish
Cypriot area: 6% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: Greek Cypriot area - $2.9 billion (2000 est.);
Turkish Cypriot area - $294 million (2000 est.)
expenditures: Greek Cypriot area - $3.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $324 million (2000 est.); Turkish Cypriot $495
million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (2000 est.)
Industries: food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products,
tourism, wood products
Industrial production growth rate: Greek Cypriot area: 2.2% (1999);
Turkish Cypriot area: -0.3% (1999)
Electricity - production: 2.951 billion kWh (1999); Turkish Cypriot
area: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 2.744 billion kWh (1999); Turkish Cypriot
area: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, citrus, vegetables, barley,
grapes, olives, vegetables
Exports: Greek Cypriot area: $1 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.); Turkish
Cypriot area: $51.1 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: Greek Cypriot area: citrus, potatoes, grapes,
wine, cement, clothing and shoes; Turkish Cypriot area: citrus,
potatoes, textiles
Exports - partners: Greek Cypriot area: UK 17.3%, Greece 9.7%,
Russia 7.0%, Lebanon 5.2% (1999); Turkish Cypriot area: Turkey 51%,
UK 31%, other EU 16.5% (1999)
Imports: Greek Cypriot area: $3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.);
Turkish Cypriot area: $402 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: Greek Cypriot area: consumer goods, petroleum
and lubricants, food and feed grains, machinery; Turkish Cypriot
area: food, minerals, chemicals, machinery
Imports - partners: Greek Cypriot area: UK 11.2%, US 10.6%, Italy
8.8%, Greece 8.2%, Germany 6.7% (1999); Turkish Cypriot area: Turkey
58.6%, UK 12.5%, other EU 13% (1999)
Debt - external: Greek Cypriot area: $NA; Turkish Cypriot area: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: Greek Cypriot area - $17 million (1998);
Turkish Cypriot area - $700 million from Turkey in grants and loans
(1990-97) that are usually forgiven
Currency: Greek Cypriot area: Cypriot pound (CYP); Turkish Cypriot
area: Turkish lira (TRL)
Currency code: CYP; TRL
Exchange rates: Cypriot pounds per US dollar - 0.6146 (January
2001), 0.6208 (2000), 0.5423 (1999), 0.5170 (1998), 0.5135 (1997),
0.4663 (1996); Turkish liras per US dollar - 677,621 (December
2000), 625,219 (2000), 418,783 (1999), 260,724 (1998), 151,865
(1997), 81,405 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Cyprus Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: Greek Cypriot area: 405,000 (1998);
Turkish Cypriot area: 83,162 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: Greek Cypriot area: 68,000 (1998);
Turkish Cypriot area: 70,000 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent in both the Greek
Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot areas
domestic: open wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international: tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic
submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: Greek Cypriot area: AM 7, FM 60, shortwave
1 (1998); Turkish Cypriot area: AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: Greek Cypriot area: 310,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area:
56,450 (1994)
Television broadcast stations: Greek Cypriot area: 4 (plus 225
low-power repeaters) (September 1995); Turkish Cypriot area: 4 (plus
5 repeaters) (September 1995)
Televisions: Greek Cypriot area: 248,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot
area: 52,300 (1994)
Internet country code: .cy
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 80,000 (2000)
Cyprus Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: Greek Cypriot area: 10,663 km (1998 est.); Turkish
Cypriot area: 2,350 km (1996 est.)
paved: Greek Cypriot area: 6,249 km (1998 est.); Turkish Cypriot
area: 1,370 km (1996 est.)
unpaved: Greek Cypriot area: 4,414 km (1998 est.); Turkish Cypriot
area: 980 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos,
Vasilikos
Merchant marine: total: 1,328 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
22,905,542 GRT/36,312,219 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 431, cargo 438, chemical
tanker 23, combination bulk 36, combination ore/oil 4, container
140, liquefied gas 6, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 143, refrigerated cargo 40, roll on/roll off 42, short-sea
passenger 9, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Austria 8, Belgium 7, China 10, Cuba 10, Denmark 2,
Germany 79, Greece 385, Hong Kong 9, Croatia 2, India 5, Iran 1,
Israel 4, Italy 2, Japan 19, South Korea 3, Latvia 10, Lithuania 1,
Monaco 1, Netherlands 13, Norway 11, Poland 9, Portugal 3, Russia
42, Singapore 1, Spain 5, Sudan 2, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, UAE 6,
UK 8, Ukraine 2, US 9, Venezuela 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 15 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 7 (2000 est.)
Cyprus Military
Military branches: Greek Cypriot area: Greek Cypriot National Guard
(GCNG; includes air and naval elements), Hellenic Forces Contingent
on Cyprus (ELDYK), Greek Cypriot Police; Turkish Cypriot area:
Turkish Cypriot Security Force (TCSF), Turkish mainland army units
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 198,275 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
136,147 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 6,616
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $370 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.2% (FY00)
Cyprus Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: 1974 hostilities divided the island into
two de facto autonomous areas, a Greek Cypriot area controlled by
the internationally recognized Cypriot Government (59% of the
island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (37% of the island),
that are separated by a UN buffer zone (4% of the island); there are
two UK sovereign base areas mostly within the Greek Cypriot portion
of the island
Illicit drugs: minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air
routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and
Turkey; some cocaine transits as well
======================================================================
@Czech Republic
Czech Republic Introduction
Background: After World War II, Czechoslovakia fell within the
Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact
troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize
party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet
demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh
repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989,
Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet
Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet
divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and
Slovakia. Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward
integration in world markets, a development that poses both
opportunities and risks.
Czech Republic Geography
Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 78,866 sq km
land: 77,276 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: total: 1,881 km
border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km,
Slovakia 215 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and
plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists
of very hilly country
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Natural resources: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite,
timber
Land use: arable land: 41%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 11%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 240 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in areas of
northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present
health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of
oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is
a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and
the Danube in central Europe
Czech Republic People
Population: 10,264,212 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.09% (male 847,219; female 804,731)
15-64 years: 69.99% (male 3,592,984; female 3,590,802)
65 years and over: 13.92% (male 549,538; female 878,938) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.07% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.81 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.73 years
male: 71.23 years
female: 78.43 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.18 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,200 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech
Ethnic groups: Czech 81.2%, Moravian 13.2%, Slovak 3.1%, Polish
0.6%, German 0.5%, Silesian 0.4%, Roma 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other
0.5% (1991)
Religions: atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%,
Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%
Languages: Czech
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Czech Republic Government
Country name: conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Ceska Republika
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Prague
Administrative divisions: 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1
capital city* (hlavni mesto); Brnensky, Budejovicky, Jihlavsky,
Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky, Olomoucky, Ostravsky,
Pardubicky, Plzensky, Praha*, Stredocesky, Ustecky, Zlinsky
Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech
Republic and Slovakia)
National holiday: Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
Constitution: ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to
bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal
theory
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Vaclav HAVEL (since 2
February 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Milos ZEMAN (since 17 July
1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir SPIDLA (since 22 July 1998),
Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 22 July 1998), Jan KAVAN (since 8 December
1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation
of the prime minister
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term;
election last held 20 January 1998 (next to be held NA January
2003); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaclav HAVEL reelected president; Vaclav HAVEL
received 47 of 81 votes in the Senate and 99 out of 200 votes in the
Chamber of Deputies (second round of voting)
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of
the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the
Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka snemovna (200 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 and 19 November 2000 (next to be
held NA November 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 19-20 June
1998 (next to be held by NA June 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - KDU-CSL 28, ODS 22, CSSD 15, ODA 7, US 4, KSCM 3,
independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
CSSD 32.3%, ODS 27.7%, KSCM 11%, KDU-CSL 9.0%, US 8.6%; seats by
party - CSSD 74, ODS 63, KSCM 24, KDU-CSL 20, US 18, CSNS 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and
deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term
Political parties and leaders: Christian and Democratic
Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jan KASAL, chairman];
Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Daniel KROUPA, chairman]; Civic
Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS, chairman]; Communist Party of
Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman];
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN,
chairman]; Czech National Social Party of CSNS [Jan SULA, chairman];
Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Milos ZEMAN, chairman];
Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK, chairman]; Freedom Union
or US [Karel KUEHNL, chairman]; Quad Coalition [Cyril SVOBODA,
chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US, ODA, DEU); Republicans of Miroslav
SLADEK or RMS [Miroslav SLADEK, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Czech-Moravian Confederation
of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR]
International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Australia
Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant),
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC,
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG,
UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Alexsandr VONDRA
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Steven J. COFFEY
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663
FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red
with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to
the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
Czech Republic Economy
Economy - overview: Basically one of the most stable and prosperous
of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering
from recession since mid-1999. The economy grew about 2.5% in 2000
and should achieve somewhat higher growth in 2001. Growth is led by
exports to the EU, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while
domestic demand is reviving. Uncomfortably high fiscal and current
account deficits could be future problems. Unemployment is down to
8.7% as job creation continues in the rebounding economy; inflation
is up to 3.8% but still moderate. The EU put the Czech Republic just
behind Poland and Hungary in preparations for accession, which will
give further impetus and direction to structural reform. Moves to
complete banking, telecommunications and energy privatization will
add to foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among
large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector
should strengthen output growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $132.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.7%
industry: 41.8%
services: 54.5% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
4.3%
highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 5.203 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5%, industry 40%, services
55% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $16.7 billion
expenditures: $18 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)
Industries: metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles,
glass, armaments
Industrial production growth rate: 7.6% (2000)
Electricity - production: 67.642 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 77.8%
hydro: 3.43%
nuclear: 18.77%
other: 0% (2000)
Electricity - consumption: 52.898 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 18.744 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 8.735 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit;
pigs, poultry
Exports: $28.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 44%, other
manufactured goods 40%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7%
(1999)
Exports - partners: Germany 43%, Slovakia 8.4%, Austria 6.6%, Poland
5.6%, France 4% (1999)
Imports: $31.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 42%, other
manufactured goods 33%, chemicals 12%, raw materials and fuels 10%
(1999)
Imports - partners: Germany 37.5%, Slovakia 6.7%, Austria 6.2%,
Italy 5.9%, France 5.4% (1999)
Debt - external: $21.3 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Czech koruna (CZK)
Currency code: CZK
Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 37.425 (January 2001), 38.598
(2000), 34.569 (1999), 32.281 (1998), 31.698 (1997), 27.145 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Czech Republic Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.869 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.346 million (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: privatization and
modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start
but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular
telephones is particularly vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber
systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
(ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals;
trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic
and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1
Globalstar
Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)
Radios: 3,159,134 (December 2000)
Television broadcast stations: 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)
Televisions: 3,405,834 (December 2000)
Internet country code: .cz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): more than 300 (2000)
Internet users: 900,000 (2000)
Czech Republic Transportation
Railways: total: 9,444 km
standard gauge: 9,350 km 1.435-m standard gauge (2,843 km
electrified; 1,929 km double track)
narrow gauge: 94 km 0.760-m narrow gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 55,432 km
paved: 55,432 km (including 499 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Waterways: 303 km
note: (the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river) (2000)
Pipelines: natural gas 3,550 km (2000)
Ports and harbors: Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem
Airports: 114 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 43
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 71
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 42 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Czech Republic Military
Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial
Defense, Railroad Units
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,653,456 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,024,070 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 69,393
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.2 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY01)
Czech Republic Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Liechtenstein's royal family claims
restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic
confiscated in 1918; individual Sudeten German claims for
restitution of property confiscated in connection with their
expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor dispute with Czech
Republic over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment
of German-speaking minorities
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin
and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western
Europe; domestic consumption - especially of locally produced
synthetic drugs - on the rise
======================================================================
@Denmark
Denmark Introduction
Background: Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north
European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation
that is participating in the political and economic integration of
Europe. So far, however, the country has opted out of some aspects
of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the economic
and monetary system (EMU) and issues concerning certain internal
affairs.
Denmark Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North
Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two
major islands (Sjaeland and Fyn)
Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 43,094 sq km
land: 42,394 sq km
water: 700 sq km
note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the
rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major
islands of Sjaeland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and
Greenland
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of
Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 68 km
border countries: Germany 68 km
Coastline: 7,314 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool
summers
Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m
highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone,
stone, gravel and sand
Land use: arable land: 60%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 10%
other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,350 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in some areas of the country
(e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of
Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes
Environment - current issues: air pollution, principally from
vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution
of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from
animal wastes and pesticides
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat)
linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population
lives in greater Copenhagen
Denmark People
Population: 5,352,815 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.59% (male 510,826; female 484,385)
15-64 years: 66.56% (male 1,804,617; female 1,758,019)
65 years and over: 14.85% (male 331,906; female 463,062) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.3% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.96 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.9 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.72 years
male: 74.12 years
female: 79.47 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.17% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,300 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Dane(s)
adjective: Danish
Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish,
Iranian, Somali
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman
Catholic 3%, Muslims 2%
Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German
(small minority)
note: English is the predominant second language
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Denmark Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form: Denmark
local long form: Kongeriget Danmark
local short form: Danmark
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Copenhagen
Administrative divisions: metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter,
singular - amt) and 2 kommunes*; Arhus, Bornholm, Fredericksberg*,
Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavns*, Nordjylland, Ribe,
Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland,
Viborg
note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland,
which are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and are self-governing
administrative divisions
Independence: first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in
1849 became a constitutional monarchy
National holiday: none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June is
generally viewed as the National Day
Constitution: 1849 was the original constitution; there was a major
overhaul 5 June 1953, allowing for a unicameral legislature and a
female chief of state
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14
January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the
monarch (born 26 May 1968)
head of government: Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since 25
January 1993)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by
Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Folketing (179 seats,
including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 March 1998 (next to be held by March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
progovernment parties: Social Democratic Party 65, Socialist
People's Party 13, Social Liberal Party 7, Red-Green Unity List 5;
opposition: Liberal Party 43, Conservative Party 17, Danish People's
Party 13, Center Democratic Party 8, Christian People's Party 4,
Progress Party 4; seats by party as of 1 January 2001: government
coalition parties - Social Democrats 63, Social Liberals 7;
pro-government parties - Socialist People's Party 13, Unity List 5;
opposition - Liberals 42, Conservatives 16, Danish People's Party
13, Center Democrats 8, Christian People's Party 4, Progress Party 4
(now named Freedom 2000); does not include the 4 overseas seats
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch
for life)
Political parties and leaders: Center Democratic Party [Mimi
JAKOBSEN]; Christian People's Party [Jann SJURSEN]; Conservative
Party (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party) [Bendt
BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party
[Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Progress Party (now named Freedom 2000)
[Kim BEHNKE]; Social Democratic Party [Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN]; Social
Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED,
leader; Johannes LEBECH, chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Holger
K. NIELSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist
Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party)
[collective leadership]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO,
G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU,
WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ulrik Andreas FEDERSPIEL
chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300
FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Stuart BERNSTEIN
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen
mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716
telephone: [45] 35 55 31 44
FAX: [45] 35 38 96 16
Flag description: red with a white cross that extends to the edges
of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist
side, and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was
subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland,
Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
Denmark Economy
Economy - overview: This thoroughly modern market economy features
high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate
industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living
standards, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net
exporter of food and energy and has a comfortable balance of
payments surplus. The center-left coalition government has reduced
the formerly high unemployment rate and attained a budget surplus as
well as followed the previous government's policies of maintaining
low inflation and a stable currency. The coalition has lowered
marginal income tax rates and raised environmental taxes thus
maintaining overall tax revenues. Problems of bottlenecks, and
longer term demographic changes reducing the labor force, are being
addressed through labor market reforms. The government has been
successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence
criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European
currency) of the European Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark, in a
September 2000 referendum, reconfirmed its decision not to join the
11 other EU members in the euro. Even so, the Danish currency
remains pegged to the euro.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $136.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $25,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 25%
services: 72% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.856 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 79%, industry 17%, agriculture
4% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.3% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $52.9 billion
expenditures: $51.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $500
million (2001 est.)
Industries: food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and
clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture,
and other wood products, shipbuilding, windmills
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 37.885 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 88.4%
hydro: 0.07%
nuclear: 0%
other: 11.53% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 32.916 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 7.28 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 4.963 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, rape, sugar beets; pork and
beef, dairy products; fish
Exports: $50.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and instruments, meat and meat
products, dairy products, fish, chemicals, furniture, ships,
windmills
Exports - partners: EU 66.5% (Germany 20.1%, Sweden 11.7%, UK 9.6%,
France 5.3%, Netherlands 4.7%), Norway 5.8%, US 5.4% (1999)
Imports: $43.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, raw materials and
semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs,
consumer goods
Imports - partners: EU 72.1% (Germany 21.6%, Sweden 12.4%, UK 8.0%,
Netherlands 8.0%, France 5.8%), Norway 4.2%, US 4.5% (1999)
Debt - external: $21.7 billion (2000)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.63 billion (1999)
Currency: Danish krone (DKK)
Currency code: DKK
Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 7.951 (January 2001),
8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997), 5.799
(1996); note - the Danes rejected the Euro in a 28 September 2000
referendum
Fiscal year: calendar year
Denmark Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4.785 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,444,016 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent telephone and
telegraph services
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay
form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems
international: 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with
Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Faroe
Islands, Iceland, and Canada; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat,
10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note -
the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for
worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 6.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 3.121 million (1997)
Internet country code: .dk
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2000)
Internet users: 2.3 million (2000)
Denmark Transportation
Railways: total: 2,859 km (508 km privately owned and operated)
standard gauge: 2,859 km 1.435-m gauge (600 km electrified; 760 km
double track) (1998)
Highways: total: 71,474 km
paved: 71,474 km (including 880 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Waterways: 417 km
Pipelines: crude oil 110 km; petroleum products 578 km; natural gas
700 km
Ports and harbors: Abenra, Alborg, Arhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg,
Fredericia, Kolding, Odense, Roenne (Bornholm), Vejle
Merchant marine: total: 342 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
6,073,489 GRT/8,027,002 DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 128, chemical tanker 27, container
76, liquefied gas 26, livestock carrier 6, petroleum tanker 22,
railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 23,
short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Finland 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 119 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 91
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 83 (2000 est.)
Denmark Military
Military branches: Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal
Danish Air Force, Home Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,292,619 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,106,094 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 29,212
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.47 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY99)
Denmark Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Rockall continental shelf dispute
involving Iceland and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a
boundary agreement in the Rockall area); dispute with Iceland over
the Faroe Islands fisheries median line boundary within 200 NM;
disputes with Iceland, the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands
continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM
======================================================================
@Djibouti
Djibouti Introduction
Background: The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became
Djibouti in 1977. A peace accord in 1994 ended a three-year uprising
by Afars rebels.
Djibouti Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red
Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 22,000 sq km
land: 21,980 sq km
water: 20 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 508 km
border countries: Eritrea 113 km, Ethiopia 337 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline: 314 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: desert; torrid, dry
Terrain: coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m
Natural resources: geothermal areas
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 91% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic
disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water;
desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location near world's busiest shipping
lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into
Ethiopia; mostly wasteland
Djibouti People
Population: 460,700 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.58% (male 98,314; female 97,859)
15-64 years: 54.58% (male 132,619; female 118,841)
65 years and over: 2.84% (male 6,787; female 6,280) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.6% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 40.66 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.66 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 101.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.21 years
male: 49.37 years
female: 53.1 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 11.75% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 37,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian
Ethnic groups: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and
Italian 5%
Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 46.2%
male: 60.3%
female: 32.7% (1995 est.)
Djibouti Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Government type: republic
Capital: Djibouti
Administrative divisions: 5 districts (cercles, singular - cercle);
'Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura
Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
Constitution: multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4
September 1992
Legal system: based on French civil law system, traditional
practices, and Islamic law
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President GUELLEH Ismail Omar
(since 8 May 1999);
head of government: Prime Minister DILLEITA Mohamed Dilleita (since
4 March 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 9 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: GUELLEH Ismail Omar elected president; percent of
vote - GUELLEH Ismail Omar 74.4%, IDRIS Moussa Ahmed 25.6%
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des
Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year
terms)
elections: last held 19 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - RPP 65; note - RPP
(the ruling party) dominated the election
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Democratic National Party or PND
[ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi
HAMARITEH]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party)
[Ismail Omar GELLEH]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Front for the Restoration of
Unity and Democracy or FRUD and affiliates; Movement for Unity and
Democracy or MUD
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD,
AL, AMF, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
ROBLE Olhaye Oudine
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Donald YAMAMOTO
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti
mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and
light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
bearing a red five-pointed star in the center
Djibouti Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is based on service activities
connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free
trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live
in the capital city, the remainder being mostly nomadic herders.
Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and
most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a
transit port for the region and an international transshipment and
refueling center. It has few natural resources and little industry.
The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to
help support its balance of payments and to finance development
projects. An unemployment rate of 40% to 50% continues to be a major
problem. Inflation is not a concern, however, because of the fixed
tie of the franc to the US dollar. Per capita consumption dropped an
estimated 35% over the last seven years because of recession, civil
war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and
refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the
government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has
been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors. The
year 2001 will see only small growth as port activity should
decrease now that Ethiopia has more trade route options.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $574 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 22%
services: 75% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 282,000
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry 11%, services
14% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate: 50% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $133 million
expenditures: $187 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: limited to a few small-scale enterprises, such as dairy
products and mineral-water bottling
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
Electricity - production: 180 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 167.4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels
Exports: $260 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in
transit)
Exports - partners: Somalia 53%, Yemen 23%, Ethiopia 5%, (1998)
Imports: $440 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: foods, beverages, transport equipment,
chemicals, petroleum products
Imports - partners: France 13%, Ethiopia 12%, Italy 9%, Saudi Arabia
6%, UK 6% (1998)
Debt - external: $356 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $106.3 million (1995)
Currency: Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Currency code: DJF
Exchange rates: Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.721 (fixed
rate since 1973)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Djibouti Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 203 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone facilities in the
city of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay
connections to outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles,
Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio
relay telephone network
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 52,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 5 low-power repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 28,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .dj
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Djibouti Transportation
Railways: total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis
Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: Djibouti and Ethiopia plan to revitalize the century-old
railroad that links their capitals by 2003
Highways: total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Djibouti
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,369
GRT/3,030 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 12 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Djibouti Military
Military branches: Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air
Force)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 108,038 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
63,589 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $23 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.5% (FY97)
Djibouti Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Dominica
Dominica Introduction
Background: Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be
colonized by Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the
native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763,
which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after
independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and
tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia
CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who
remained in office for 15 years.
Dominica Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to
Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 15 25 N, 61 20 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 754 sq km
land: 754 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than four times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 148 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, arable land
Land use: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 67%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat; destructive
hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Dominica People
Population: 70,786 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.72% (male 10,300; female 10,027)
15-64 years: 63.45% (male 23,056; female 21,855)
65 years and over: 7.83% (male 2,267; female 3,281) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.98% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 17.81 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -20.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.6 years
male: 70.74 years
female: 76.61 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican
Ethnic groups: black, Carib Amerindian
Religions: Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%,
Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%),
none 2%, other 6%
Languages: English (official), French patois
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% (1970 est.)
Dominica Government
Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica
Government type: parliamentary democracy; republic within the
Commonwealth
Capital: Roseau
Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David,
Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark,
Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter
Independence: 3 November 1978 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Constitution: 3 November 1978
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Vernon Lordon SHAW
(since 6 October 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES (since 1 October
2000); note - assumed post after death of Roosevelt DOUGLAS
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the
prime minister
elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 6 October 1998 (next to be held
NA October 2003); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vernon Lordon SHAW elected president; percent of
legislative vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9
appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 31 January 2000 (next to be held by NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
-DLP 11, UWP 8, DFP 2
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the
Court of Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of
the six judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of
Summary Jurisdiction)
Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party or DFP
[Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Pierre CHARLES];
United Workers Party or UWP [Edison JAMES]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Dominica Liberation Movement
or DLM (a small leftist party)
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom,
CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (resident in Dominica)
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Dominica; US interests are served by the embassy in
Bridgetown, Barbados
Flag description: green, with a centered cross of three equal bands
- the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the
horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in
the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot
encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10
stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)
Dominica Economy
Economy - overview: The economy depends on agriculture and is highly
vulnerable to climatic conditions, notably tropical storms.
Agriculture, primarily bananas, accounts for 21% of GDP and employs
40% of the labor force. Development of the tourist industry remains
difficult because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the
lack of an international airport. Hurricane Luis devastated the
country's banana crop in September 1995; tropical storms had wiped
out one-quarter of the crop in 1994 as well. The subsequent recovery
has been fueled by increases in construction, soap production, and
tourist arrivals. The government is attempting to develop an
offshore financial industry in order to diversify the island's
production base.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $290 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21%
industry: 16%
services: 63% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 25,000
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 40%, industry and commerce
32%, services 28%
Unemployment rate: 20% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $72 million
expenditures: $79.9 million, including capital expenditures of
$11.5 million (FY97/98)
Industries: soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement
blocks, shoes
Industrial production growth rate: -10% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 62 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 48.39%
hydro: 51.61%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 57.7 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops,
coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited
Exports: $60.7 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables,
grapefruit, oranges
Exports - partners: Caricom countries 47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.)
Imports: $126 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and equipment,
food, chemicals
Imports - partners: US 41%, Caricom countries 25%, UK 13%,
Netherlands, Canada (1996 est.)
Debt - external: $108.9 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $24.4 million (1995)
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed
rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Dominica Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 19,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 461 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links
to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to
Saint Lucia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 46,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (however, there is one cable
television company) (1997)
Televisions: 6,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .dm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Dominica Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 750 km
paved: 375 km
unpaved: 375 km (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Portsmouth, Roseau
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Dominica Military
Military branches: Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes
Special Service Unit, Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Dominica Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US
and Europe; minor cannabis producer; banking industry is vulnerable
to money laundering
======================================================================
@Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic Introduction
Background: A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule
for much of the 20th century was brought to an end in 1996 when free
and open elections ushered in a new government.
Dominican Republic Geography
Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola,
between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 70 40 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of New
Hampshire
Land boundaries: total: 275 km
border countries: Haiti 275 km
Coastline: 1,288 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 6 NM
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation;
seasonal variation in rainfall
Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys
interspersed
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land use: arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 15% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,300 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and
subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding;
periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the
sea damages coral reefs; deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern
two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti)
Dominican Republic People
Population: 8,581,477 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.11% (male 1,495,477; female 1,431,406)
15-64 years: 60.99% (male 2,664,679; female 2,569,398)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 199,240; female 221,277) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.63% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 24.77 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 34.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.44 years
male: 71.34 years
female: 75.64 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.8% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,900 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican
Ethnic groups: white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.1%
male: 82%
female: 82.2% (1995 est.)
Dominican Republic Government
Country name: conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republica Dominicana
local short form: none
Government type: representative democracy
Capital: Santo Domingo
Administrative divisions: 29 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona,
Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo,
Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La
Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte
Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez
Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago,
Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde
Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Constitution: 28 November 1966
Legal system: based on French civil codes
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons
regardless of age
note: members of the armed forces and police cannot vote
Executive branch: chief of state: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA
Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros
ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez
(since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since
16 August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year term; election last held 16 May 2000
(next to be held NA May 2004)
election results: Raphael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez elected
president; percent of vote - Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD)
49.87%, Danilo MEDINA (PLD) 24.95%, Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 24.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of the Senate or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies
or Camara de Diputados (149 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be held NA May
2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be held
NA May 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRD 24, PLD 3, PRSC 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 83, PLD 49, PRSC 17
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are elected
by a Council made up of members of the legislative and executive
branches with the president presiding)
Political parties and leaders: Dominican Liberation Party or PLD
[Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD
[Hatuey DE CAMPS]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Joaquin
BALAGUER Ricardo]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Collective of Popular
Organizations or COP
International organization participation: ACP, Caricom (observer),
ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Roberto Bienvenido SALADIN-SELIN
chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280
FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico),
Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San
Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Houston, Jacksonville, Mobile, and Ponce (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Charles T. MANATT
embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo
Navarro, Santo Domingo
mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500
telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171
FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437
Flag description: a centered white cross that extends to the edges
divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist
side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a
small coat of arms is at the center of the cross
Dominican Republic Economy
Economy - overview: The Dominican economy experienced dramatic
growth over the last decade, even though the economy was hit hard by
Hurricane Georges in 1998. Although the country has long been viewed
primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent
years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's
largest employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The
country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of
the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the
richest ten percent enjoy 40% of national income. In December 2000,
the new MEJIA administration passed broad new tax legislation which
it hopes will provide enough revenue to offset rising oil prices and
to service foreign debt.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $48.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.3%
industry: 32.2%
services: 56.5% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 25% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.6%
highest 10%: 39.6% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.9% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.3 million - 2.6 million
Labor force - by occupation: services and government 58.7%, industry
24.3%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 13.8% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.3 billion
expenditures: $2.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $867
million (1999 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining,
textiles, cement, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.29 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 87.19%
hydro: 12.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.41% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.78 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco,
rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products,
beef, eggs
Exports: $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee,
cocoa, tobacco, meats
Exports - partners: US 66.1%, Netherlands 7.8%, Canada 7.6%, Russia
7.4%, UK 4.5% (1999 est.)
Imports: $9.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics,
chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners: US 25.7%, Venezuela 9.2%, Mexico 4%, Japan 3%,
Panama 2.6% (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $4.7 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $239.6 million (1995)
Currency: Dominican peso (DOP)
Currency code: DOP
Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US dollar - 16.888 (January
2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.033 (1999), 15.267 (1998), 14.265 (1997),
13.775 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Dominican Republic Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 709,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 130,149 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwave
radio relay network
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 1.44 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 25 (1997)
Televisions: 770,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .do
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 24 (2000)
Internet users: 25,000 (1999)
Dominican Republic Transportation
Railways: total: 757 km
standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge (Central Romana Railroad)
narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge (Dominican Republic Government
Railway)
note: 240 km operated by sugar companies in various gauges
(0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges) (2000)
Highways: total: 12,600 km
paved: 6,224 km
unpaved: 6,376 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 96 km; petroleum products 8 km
Ports and harbors: Barahona, La Romana, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de
Macoris, Santo Domingo
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587
GRT/1,165 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 29 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 13
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
Dominican Republic Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,281,035 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,430,776 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 87,404
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $180 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY98)
Dominican Republic Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined
for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy
from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada
======================================================================
@Ecuador
Ecuador Introduction
Background: The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries
that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others
being Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost
territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border
war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999.
Ecuador Geography
Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the
Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 77 30 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Nevada
Land boundaries: total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,237 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: claims continental shelf
between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher
elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Terrain: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands
(sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 56%
other: 15% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,560 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic
activity; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production
wastes
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in
world
Ecuador People
Population: 13,183,978 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.8% (male 2,398,801; female 2,320,537)
15-64 years: 59.81% (male 3,900,193; female 3,984,797)
65 years and over: 4.39% (male 269,372; female 310,278) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 25.99 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 34.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.33 years
male: 68.52 years
female: 74.28 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.29% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 19,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,400 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian
25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially
Quechua)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.1%
male: 92%
female: 88.2% (1995 est.)
Ecuador Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
Government type: republic
Capital: Quito
Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El
Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios,
Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha,
Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10
August (1809)
Constitution: 10 August 1998
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate
persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Executive branch: chief of state: President Gustavo NOBOA Bejarano
(since 22 January 2000) selected president following coup that
deposed President MAHUAD; Vice President Pedro PINTO Rubianes (since
28 January 2000) elected by National Congress from a slate of
candidates submitted by President NABOA; note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Gustavo NOBOA Bejarano (since 22
January 2000) selected president following coup that deposed
President MAHUAD; Vice President Pedro PINTO Rubianes (since 28
January 2000) elected by National Congress from a slate of
candidates submitted by President NABOA; note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year term (no reelection); election last
held 31 May 1998; runoff election held 12 July 1998 (next to be held
NA 2002)
election results: results of the last election prior to the coup
were: Jamil MAHUAD elected president; percent of vote - 51%
note: a military-indigenous coup toppled democratically elected
President Jamil MAHAUD on 21 January 2000; the military quickly
handed power over to Vice President Gustavo NOBOA on 22 January;
National Congress then elected a new vice president from a slate of
candidates submitted by NOBOA; the new administration is scheduled
to complete the remainder of MAHAUD's term, due to expire in January
2003
Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress or Congreso
Nacional (121 seats; 79 members are popularly elected at-large
nationally to serve four-year terms; 42 members are popularly
elected by province - two per province - for four-year terms)
elections: last held 31 May 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
DP 32, PSC 27, PRE 24, ID 18, P-NP 9, FRA 5, PCE 3, MPD 2, CFP 1;
note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace,
resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the
various parties
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (new justices are
elected by the full Supreme Court)
Political parties and leaders: Concentration of Popular Forces or
CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Rodrigo BORJA
Cevallos]; Ecuadorian Conservative Party or PCE [Sixto DURAN
Ballen]; Independent National Movement or MIN [leader NA];
Pachakutik-New Country or P-NP [Rafael PANDAM]; Popular Democracy or
DP [Ramiro RIVERA]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [leader NA];
Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist
Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian
Party or PSC [Jaime NEBOT Saadi, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Indigenous
Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Antonio VARGAS]; Coordinator of
Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Popular Front or FP
[Luis VILLACIS]
International organization participation: CAN, CCC, ECLAC, FAO,
G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ivonne A-BAKI
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Gwen C. CLARE
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito
mailing address: APO AA 34039
telephone: [593] (2) 562-890
FAX: [593] (2) 502-052
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
Flag description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double
width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the
center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter
and does not bear a coat of arms
Ecuador Economy
Economy - overview: Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich
agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products
such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market
prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Ecuador joined the
World Trade Organization in 1996, but has failed to comply with many
of its accession commitments. In recent years, growth has been
uneven due to ill-conceived fiscal stabilization measures. The
aftermath of El Nino and depressed oil market of 1997-98 drove
Ecuador's economy into a free-fall in 1999. The beginning of 1999
saw the banking sector collapse, which helped precipitate an
unprecedented default on external loans later that year. Continued
economic instability drove a 70% depreciation of the currency
throughout 1999, which eventually forced a desperate government to
"dollarize" the currency regime in 2000. The move stabilized the
currency, but did not stave off the ouster of the government. The
new president, Gustavo NOBOA has yet to complete negotiations for a
long sought IMF accord. He will find it difficult to push through
the reforms necessary to make "dollarization" work in the long run.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $37.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14%
industry: 36%
services: 50% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 50% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.2%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 96% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.2 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services
45% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 13%; note - widespread underemployment (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: planned $5.1 billion (not including revenue from
potential privatizations)
expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper
products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber
Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 10.065 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 29.51%
hydro: 70.49%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 9.386 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 25 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes,
manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef,
pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp
Exports: $5.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa,
cut flowers, fish
Exports - partners: US 37%, Colombia 5%, Italy 5%, Chile 5%, Peru 4%
(1999)
Imports: $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, raw materials,
fuels; consumer goods
Imports - partners: US 30%, Colombia 13%, Venezuela 6%, Japan 5%,
Venezuela 6%, Mexico 3% (1998)
Debt - external: $15 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $695.7 million (1995)
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: sucres per US dollar - 25,000 (January 2001),
24,988.4 (2000), 11,786.8 (1999), 5,446.6 (1998), 3,988.3 (1997),
3,189.5 (1996)
note: on 7 January 2000, the government passed a decree
"dollarizing" the economy; on 13 March 2000, the National Congress
approved a new exchange system whereby the US dollar is adopted as
the main legal tender in Ecuador for all purposes; on 20 March 2000,
the Central Bank of Ecuador started to exchange sucres for US
dollars at a fixed rate of 25,000 sucres per US dollar; since 30
April 2000, all transactions are denominated in US dollars
Fiscal year: calendar year
Ecuador Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 899,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 160,061 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 392, FM 27, shortwave 29 (1998)
Radios: 4.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (including one station on the
Galapagos Islands) (1997)
Televisions: 1.55 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ec
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Ecuador Transportation
Railways: total: 965 km
narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,165 km
unpaved: 35,032 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 1,500 km
Pipelines: crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km
Ports and harbors: Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto
Bolivar, San Lorenzo
Merchant marine: total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
233,312 GRT/385,784 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1,
passenger 3, petroleum tanker 22, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 180 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 59
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 19 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 121
914 to 1,523 m: 32
under 914 m: 89 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Ecuador Military
Military branches: Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada
Ecuatoriana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Ecuatoriana), National Police (Policia Nacional)
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,382,567 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,280,899 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 132,978
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $720 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY98)
Ecuador Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: significant transit country for cocaine and
derivatives of coca originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of
precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics;
important money-laundering hub; increased activity on the northern
frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents
======================================================================
@Egypt
Egypt Introduction
Background: Nominally independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt
acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of
the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have
altered the time-honored place of the Nile river in the agriculture
and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in
the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all
continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has
struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium through
economic reform and massive investment in communications and
physical infrastructure.
Egypt Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Libya and the Gaza Strip
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New
Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 2,689 km
border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 255 km, Libya 1,150 km,
Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 32,460 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash
floods, landslides, volcanic activity; hot, driving windstorm called
khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: agricultural land being lost to
urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below
Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral
reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from
agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very
limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile which is
the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population
overstraining natural resources
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between
Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal,
shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size,
and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle
Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of
Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees
Egypt People
Population: 69,536,644 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.59% (male 12,313,585; female
11,739,072)
15-64 years: 61.6% (male 21,614,284; female 21,217,978)
65 years and over: 3.81% (male 1,160,967; female 1,490,758) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.69% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 24.89 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 60.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.69 years
male: 61.62 years
female: 65.85 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.07 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Egyptian(s)
adjective: Egyptian
Ethnic groups: Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and
Berbers) 99%, Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European (primarily
Italian and French) 1%
Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%
Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood
by educated classes
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.4%
male: 63.6%
female: 38.8% (1995 est.)
Egypt Government
Country name: conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
conventional short form: Egypt
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
Government type: republic
Capital: Cairo
Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum,
Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al
Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid,
Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id,
Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina',
Suhaj
Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)
Constitution: 11 September 1971
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and
Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of
State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK
(since 14 October 1981)
head of government: Prime Minister Atef OBEID (since 5 October 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president nominated by the People's Assembly for a
six-year term, the nomination must then be validated by a national,
popular referendum; national referendum last held 26 September 1999
(next to be held NA October 2005); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: national referendum validated President MUBARAK's
nomination by the People's Assembly to a fourth term
Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the People's
Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote,
10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and
the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a
consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88
appointed by the president; members serve NA-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 19
October, 29 October, 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2005); Advisory Council - last held 7 June 1995 (next to be held NA)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NDP 88%, independents 8%, opposition 4%; seats by party - NDP 398,
NWP 7, Tagammu 6, Nasserists 2, LSP 1, independents 38, undecided 2;
Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NDP 99%, independents
1%; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Nasserist Arab Democratic Party or
Nasserists [Dia' al-din DAWUD]; National Democratic Party or NDP
[President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK, leader] - governing party;
National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Khalid MUHI
AL-DIN]; New Wafd Party or NWP [No'man GOMA]; Socialist Liberal
Party or LSP [leader NA]
note: formation of political parties must be approved by government
Political pressure groups and leaders: despite a constitutional ban
against religious-based parties, the technically illegal Muslim
Brotherhood constitutes MUBARAK's potentially most significant
political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated limited political activity
by the Brotherhood for his first two terms, but moved more
aggressively since then to block its influence; civic society groups
are sanctioned, but constrained in practical terms; trade unions and
professional associations are officially sanctioned
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, ACCT
(associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CCC, EBRD,
ECA, ESCWA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC,
OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Nabil FAHMY
chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319, 5131
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Daniel C. KURTZER
embassy: 5 Latin America St., Garden City, Cairo
mailing address: Unit 64900, APO AE 09839-4900
telephone: [20] (2) 795-7371
FAX: [20] (2) 797-2000
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white,
and black with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a
golden eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name
of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; similar to the
flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band; also similar to the
flag of Syria, which has two green stars, and to the flag of Iraq,
which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a
horizontal line centered in the white band
Egypt Economy
Economy - overview: A series of IMF arrangements - along with
massive external debt relief resulting from Egypt's participation in
the Gulf war coalition - helped Egypt improve its macroeconomic
performance during the 1990s. Sound fiscal and monetary policies
through the mid-1990s helped to tame inflation, slash budget
deficits, and build up foreign reserves, while structural reforms
such as privatization and new business legislation prompted
increased foreign investment. By mid-1998, however, the pace of
structural reform slackened, and lower combined hard currency
earnings resulted in pressure on the Egyptian pound and sporadic US
dollar shortages. External payments were not in crisis, but Cairo's
attempts to curb demand for foreign exchange convinced some
investors and currency traders that government financial operations
lacked transparency and coordination. Monetary pressures have since
eased, however, with the 1999-2000 higher oil prices, a rebound in
tourism, and a series of mini-devaluations of the pound. The
development of a gas export market is a major plus factor in future
growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $247 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17%
industry: 32%
services: 51% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 22.9% (FY95/96 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
4.4%
highest 10%: 25% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000)
Labor force: 19.9 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 29%, services 49%, industry
22% (FY99)
Unemployment rate: 11.5% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $22.6 billion
expenditures: $26.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY99)
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals,
hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals
Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 64.685 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 76.59%
hydro: 23.41%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 60.157 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits,
vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats
Exports: $7.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton,
textiles, metal products, chemicals
Exports - partners: EU 35%, Middle East 17%, Afro-Asian countries
14%, US 12% (1999)
Imports: $17 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs,
chemicals, wood products, fuels
Imports - partners: EU 36%, US 14%, Afro-Asian countries 14%, Middle
East 6% (1999)
Debt - external: $31 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $2.25 billion (1999)
Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP)
Currency code: EGP
Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds per US dollar - market rate - 3.8400
(January 2001), 3.6900 (2000), 3.4050 (1999), 3.3880 (1998), 3.3880
(1997), 3.3880 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Egypt Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3,971,500 (December 1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 380,000 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: large system; underwent
extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet
access and cellular service are available
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial
submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio
relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel and a signatory to
Project Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable system)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14,
shortwave 3 (1999)
Radios: 20.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 98 (September 1995)
Televisions: 7.7 million (1997)
Internet country code: .eg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2000)
Internet users: 300,000 (2000)
Egypt Transportation
Railways: total: 4,955 km
standard gauge: 4,955 km 1,435-m gauge (42 km electrified; 1,560 km
double track) (2000)
Highways: total: 64,000 km
paved: 50,000 km
unpaved: 14,000 km (1996)
Waterways: 3,500 km
note: including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway,
and numerous smaller canals in the delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km
including approaches), used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1
m of water
Pipelines: crude oil 1,171 km; petroleum products 596 km; natural
gas 460 km
Ports and harbors: Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur
Safajah, Damietta, Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez
Merchant marine: total: 181 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,336,678 GRT/1,982,220 DWT
ships by type: bulk 23, cargo 61, container 2, liquefied gas 1,
passenger 61, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 15, short-sea
passenger 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 90 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 69
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 21
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 2 (2000 est.)
Egypt Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 18,562,994 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
12,020,059 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 712,983
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.04 billion (FY99/00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.1% (FY99/00)
Egypt Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Egypt asserts its claim to the "Hala'ib
Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km under partial Sudanese
administration that is defined by an administrative boundary which
supersedes the treaty boundary of 1899
Illicit drugs: a transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast
Asian heroin and opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; popular
transit stop for Nigerian couriers
======================================================================
@El Salvador
El Salvador Introduction
Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and
from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war,
which cost the lives of some 75,000 people, was brought to a close
in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that
provided for military and political reforms.
El Salvador Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
Guatemala and Honduras
Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline: 307 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season
(November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central
plateau
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable
land
Land use: arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 8%
permanent pastures: 29%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and
sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes;
Hurricane Mitch damage
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: smallest Central American country and only one
without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
El Salvador People
Population: 6,237,662 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.68% (male 1,198,623; female 1,151,584)
15-64 years: 57.27% (male 1,693,865; female 1,878,254)
65 years and over: 5.05% (male 142,345; female 172,991) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.85% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 28.67 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.03 years
male: 66.43 years
female: 73.81 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.34 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 20,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,300 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran
Ethnic groups: mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9%
Religions: Roman Catholic 86%
note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout
the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million
Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador
Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 71.5%
male: 73.5%
female: 69.8% (1995 est.)
El Salvador Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador
Government type: republic
Capital: San Salvador
Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa
Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 23 December 1983
Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common
law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Francisco FLORES Perez
(since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt
(since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June
1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June
1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: cabinet selected by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 7 March 1999
(next to be held NA March 2004)
election results: Francisco FLORES Perez elected president; percent
of vote - Francisco FLORES (ARENA) 52%, Facundo GUARDADO (FMLN) 29%,
Ruben ZAMORA (CDU) 7.5%, other (no individual above 3%) 11.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea
Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - ARENA 36.1%, FMLN
35.14%, PCN 8.76%, PDC 7.08%, CD 5.32%, PAN 3.75%, USC 1.47%, PLD
1.29%; seats by party - ARENA 28, FMLN 31, PCN 14, PDC 5, CD 3, PAN
1, independent 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected
by the Legislative Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[Rene AGUILUZ]; Democratic Convergence or CD (includes PSD, MNR,
MPSC) [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Democratic Party or PD
[Jorge MELENDEZ]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN
[Fabio CASTILLO]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo
SALGADO, president]; National Action Party or PAN [Gustavo Rogelio
SALINAS, secretary general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN
[Ciro CRUZ Zepeda, president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA
[Walter ARAUJO]; Social Christian Union or USC (formed by the merger
of Christian Social Renewal Party or PRSC and Unity Movement or MU)
[Abraham RODRIGUEZ, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: labor organizations -
Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the
Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or
FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS;
National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of
El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant
Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union
of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations -
National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran
Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial
Association or ASI
International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez
chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Boston
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Rose M. LIKINS
embassy: Boulevard Santa Elena Final, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, San Salvador
mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023
telephone: [503] 278-4444
FAX: [503] 278-6011
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white,
and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band;
the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words
REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag
of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the
white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA
DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar
to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X
pattern centered in the white band
El Salvador Economy
Economy - overview: El Salvador is a struggling Central American
economy which has been suffering from a weak tax collection system,
factory closings, the aftermaths of Hurricane Mitch of 1998 and the
devastating earthquakes of early 2001, and weak world coffee prices.
On the bright side, in recent years inflation has fallen to single
digit levels, and total exports have grown substantially. The trade
deficit has been offset by remittances (an estimated $1.6 billion in
2000) from Salvadorans living abroad and by external aid. As of 1
January 2001, the US dollar was made legal tender alongside the
colon.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $24 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12%
industry: 28%
services: 60% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 48% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.2%
highest 10%: 38.3% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.35 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services
55% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals,
fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.641 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 45.65%
hydro: 41.01%
nuclear: 0%
other: 13.34% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 3.638 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 208 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 460 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed,
cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products
Exports: $2.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar,
shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity
Exports - partners: US 63%, Guatemala 11%, Honduras 7%, Costa Rica
4% (1999)
Imports: $4.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods,
fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity
Imports - partners: US 52%, Guatemala 9%, Mexico 6%, Costa Rica 3%
(1999)
Debt - external: $4.1 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: total $252 million; $57 million from US
(1999 est.)
Currency: Salvadoran colon (SVC); US dollar (USD)
Currency code: SVC; USD
Exchange rates: Salvadoran colones per US dollar - 8.755 (fixed rate
since 1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
El Salvador Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 380,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 40,163 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Radio broadcast stations: AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30,
shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 2.75 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1997)
Televisions: 600,000 (1990)
Internet country code: .sv
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2000)
Internet users: 40,000 (2000)
El Salvador Transportation
Railways: total: 562 km
narrow gauge: 562 km 0.914-m gauge
note: length of route which is operational is reduced to 283 km by
disuse and lack of maintainance (2001)
Highways: total: 10,029 km
paved: 1,986 km (including 327 km of expressways)
unpaved: 8,043 km (1997)
Waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable
Ports and harbors: Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union,
Puerto El Triunfo
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 83 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 79
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 62 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
El Salvador Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,464,898 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
929,263 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 68,103
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $112 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.7% (FY99)
El Salvador Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: with respect to the maritime boundary in
the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the
1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that
some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua
likely would be required
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced
for local consumption; domestic drug abuse on the rise
======================================================================
@Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea Introduction
Background: Composed of a mainland portion and five inhabited
islands, Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by ruthless leaders who
have badly mismanaged the economy since independence from 190 years
of Spanish rule in 1968. Although nominally a constitutional
democracy since 1991, the 1996 presidential and 1999 legislative
elections were widely seen as being flawed.
Equatorial Guinea Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between
Cameroon and Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 28,051 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Coastline: 296 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
Natural resources: oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited
deposits of gold, manganese, uranium
Land use: arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: violent windstorms, flash floods
Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable;
desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: insular and continental regions rather widely
separated
Equatorial Guinea People
Population: 486,060 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.56% (male 103,909; female 102,946)
15-64 years: 53.68% (male 124,808; female 136,088)
65 years and over: 3.76% (male 8,178; female 10,131) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.46% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 37.72 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13.11 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 92.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.95 years
male: 51.89 years
female: 56.07 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.88 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.51% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 120 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Ethnic groups: Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni
(primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish
Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic,
pagan practices
Languages: Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English,
Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.5%
male: 89.6%
female: 68.1% (1995 est.)
Equatorial Guinea Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial
former: Spanish Guinea
Government type: republic
Capital: Malabo
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem,
Litoral, Wele-Nzas
Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Constitution: approved by national referendum 17 November 1991;
amended January 1995
Legal system: partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.)
Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized
power in a military coup)
head of government: Prime Minister Candido Muatetema RIVAS (since
26 February 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Miguel OYONO NDONG
(since NA January 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG
NZE FUMU (since NA January 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote to a seven-year term;
election last held 25 February 1996 (next to be held NA February
2003); prime minister and vice prime ministers appointed by the
president
election results: President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected
with 98% of popular vote in elections marred by widespread fraud
Legislative branch: unicameral House of People's Representatives or
Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDGE 80%, UP 6%, CPDS
5%; seats by party - PDGE 75, UP 4 and CPDS 1
note: opposition parties have refused to take up their seats in the
House to protest widespread irregularities in the 1999 legislative
elections
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal
Political parties and leaders: Convergence Party for Social
Democracy or CPDS [Placido Miko ABOGO]; Democratic Party for
Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA
MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo
MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono
EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive
Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY, mayor of
Malabo]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAS
(observer), OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Teodoro BIYOGO NSUEA
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700
FAX: [1] (202) 528-5252
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John M. YATES; note - the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial
Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); US relations with Equatorial
Guinea are handled through the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon; the
US State Department is considering opening a Consulate Agency in
Malabo
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist
side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of
arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and
five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton
tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ,
JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)
Equatorial Guinea Economy
Economy - overview: The discovery and exploitation of large oil
reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent
years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of
GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence
Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency
earnings, the deterioration of the rural economy under successive
brutal regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth.
A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF
have been cut off since 1993 because of the government's gross
corruption and mismanagement. Businesses, for the most part, are
owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped
natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium,
and alluvial gold. The country responded favorably to the
devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994. Boosts in production
and high world oil prices stimulated growth in 2000, with oil
accounting for 90% of greatly increased exports.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $960 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 12% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20%
industry: 60%
services: 20% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1999 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $43 million, including capital expenditures of $7
million (1996 est.)
Industries: petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (1994 est.)
Electricity - production: 21 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 85.71%
hydro: 14.29%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 19.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava
(tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber
Exports: $860 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum, timber, cocoa
Exports - partners: US 62%, Spain 17%, China 9%, France 3%, Japan
3%, (1997)
Imports: $300 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods and equipment
Imports - partners: US 35%, France 15%, Spain 10%, Cameroon 10%, UK
6% (1997)
Debt - external: $290 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $33.8 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Equatorial Guinea Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: poor system with adequate
government services
domestic: NA
international: international communications from Bata and Malabo to
African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 180,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gq
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Equatorial Guinea Transportation
Railways: total: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,880 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 2,880 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Bata, Luba, Malabo
Merchant marine: total: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
26,035 GRT/27,927 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7, combination bulk 1, passenger 2,
passenger/cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Equatorial Guinea Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force,
National Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 108,973 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
55,347 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.6% (FY97/98)
Equatorial Guinea Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: tripartite maritime boundary and economic
zone dispute with Cameroon and Nigeria is currently before the ICJ;
maritime boundary dispute with Gabon because of disputed sovereignty
over islands in Corisco Bay
======================================================================
@Eritrea
Eritrea Introduction
Background: Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a
federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years
later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991
with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was
overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two and a half year
border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN
auspices on 12 December 2000.
Eritrea Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti
and Sudan
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 39 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 121,320 sq km
land: 121,320 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total: 1,630 km
border countries: Djibouti 113 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Coastline: 2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in
Red Sea 1,083 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and
wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually);
semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during
June-September except in coastal desert
Terrain: dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending
highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the
northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling
plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil
depression -75 m
highest point: Soira 3,018 m
Natural resources: gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil
and natural gas, fish
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 49%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 32% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent droughts; locust swarms
Environment - current issues: deforestation; desertification; soil
erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic geopolitical position along world's
busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of
Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia
on 24 May 1993
Eritrea People
Population: 4,298,269 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.85% (male 922,691; female 918,916)
15-64 years: 53.87% (male 1,147,927; female 1,167,705)
65 years and over: 3.28% (male 71,232; female 69,798) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.84% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 42.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 12.07 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 7.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: according to the UNHCR, about 150,000 Eritrean refugees in
Sudan have registered for voluntary repatriation, following the
restoration of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Sudan in
January 2000
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 75.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 56.18 years
male: 53.73 years
female: 58.71 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.87 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.87% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Eritrean(s)
adjective: Eritrean
Ethnic groups: ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%,
Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%
Religions: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages: Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other
Cushitic languages
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 25%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Eritrea Government
Country name: conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea
local long form: Hagere Ertra
local short form: Ertra
former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
Government type: transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the
Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National
Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a
Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a
constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the
transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997,
did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential
elections; parliamentary elections have now been scheduled to take
place in December 2001
Capital: Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akale
Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye
note: in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a resolution
stating that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been
established by former colonial powers, would consist of only six
provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, became
effective in 1997; the new provinces, the names of which had not
been recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition
by the US Government, pending acceptable definition of the
boundaries, were: Anseba, Debub, Debubawi Keyih Bahri, Gash-Barka,
Maakel, and Semanawi Keyih Bahri; more recently, it has been
reported that these provinces have been redesignated regions and
renamed Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Anseba, Gash-Barka,
Southern, and Central
Independence: 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 May (1993)
Constitution: the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993,
was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not
yet implemented
Legal system: operates on the basis of transitional laws that
incorporate pre-independence statutes of the Eritrean People's
Liberation Front, revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws, and post
independence enacted laws
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8
June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head
of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority
elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election
last held 8 June 1993 (next tentatively scheduled for December 2001)
election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term
limits not established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new
constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old
Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member
Constituent Assembly which had been established in 1997 to discuss
and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans
living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to
serve as the country's legislative body until country-wide elections
to a National Assembly are held; only 75 members will be elected to
the National Assembly - the other 75 will be members of the Central
Committee of the PFDJ; parliamentary elections are now scheduled for
NA December 2001
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; 10 provincial courts; 29 district
courts
Political parties and leaders: People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS
Afworki, PETROS Solomon]; note - the National Assembly has appointed
a committee to draft a law on political parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Eritrean Islamic Jihad or
EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean
Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER];
Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed
Said NAWD]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
GIRMA Asmerom
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991
FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
William D. CLARKE
embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara
mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara
telephone: [291] (1) 120004
FAX: [291] (1) 127584
Flag description: red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is
green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive
branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle
Eritrea Economy
Economy - overview: With independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993,
Eritrea faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor
country. The economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture,
with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The
small industrial sector consists mainly of light industries with
outmoded technologies. Domestic output (GDP) is substantially
augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues
come from custom duties and taxes on income and sales. Road
construction is a top domestic priority. In the long term, Eritrea
may benefit from the development of offshore oil, offshore fishing,
and tourism. Eritrea's economic future depends on its ability to
master fundamental social and economic problems, e.g., by reducing
illiteracy, promoting job creation, expanding technical training,
attracting foreign investment, and streamlining the bureaucracy.
Eritrea's agriculture over the last two years was severely weakened
by war and drought, and many farmlands must wait to be demined.
Another major difficulty is the ports, which prior to the war were
Ethiopia's preferred outlets but since have seen trade dry up.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $710 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16%
industry: 27%
services: 57% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and services
20%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $283.9 million
expenditures: $351.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 165 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 153.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh NA kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh NA kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton,
tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish
Exports: $26 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small
manufactures
Exports - partners: Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan 13.2%, UAE
7.3%, Italy 5.3% (1998)
Imports: $560 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery, petroleum products, food,
manufactured goods
Imports - partners: Italy 17.4%, UAE 16.2%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%,
Korea 4.4% (1998)
Debt - external: $281 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $77 million (1999)
Currency: nakfa (ERN)
Currency code: ERN
Exchange rates: nakfa per US dollar = 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6
(January 1999), 7.2 (March 1998 est.)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Eritrea Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 23,578 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara;
government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 2 (2000)
Radios: 345,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .er
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Eritrea Transportation
Railways: total: 317 km
narrow gauge: 317 km 0.950-m gauge (1999)
note: links Ak'ordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa;
nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch that was
reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of
the rolling stock is under way
Highways: total: 3,850 km
paved: 810 km
unpaved: 3,040 km (2000)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
Merchant marine: total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,069
GRT/19,549 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker
1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 20 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Eritrea Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $160 million (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 29.4% (2000 est.)
Eritrea Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: as a result of the 12 December 2000 peace
agreement ending a two-year war with Ethiopia, the UN will
administer a 25-km wide temporary security zone within Eritrea until
a joint boundary commission delimits and demarcates a final boundary
======================================================================
@Estonia
Estonia Introduction
Background: After centuries of Swedish and Russian rule, Estonia
attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR
in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the
Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia
has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western
Europe.
Estonia Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of
Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 59 00 N, 26 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 45,226 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km
water: 2,015 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont
combined
Land boundaries: total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Coastline: 3,794 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in
coordination with neighboring states
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Terrain: marshy, lowlands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Natural resources: shale oil (kukersite), peat, phosphorite, amber,
cambrian blue clay, limestone, dolomite, arable land
Land use: arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 11%
forests and woodland: 44%
other: 20% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1996 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding occurs frequently in the spring
Environment - current issues: air heavily polluted with sulfur
dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast;
contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products,
chemicals at former Soviet military bases; Estonia has more than
1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in
agricultural areas are heavily affected by organic waste; coastal
sea water is polluted in many locations
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Estonia People
Population: 1,423,316 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.08% (male 123,997; female 119,166)
15-64 years: 68.14% (male 466,823; female 503,032)
65 years and over: 14.78% (male 68,802; female 141,496) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.55% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 8.7 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13.48 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.73 years
male: 63.72 years
female: 76.05 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.21 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian
Ethnic groups: Estonian 65.1%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%,
Byelorussian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.8% (1998)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian
Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic,
Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish
Languages: Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, English,
Finnish, other
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1998 est.)
Estonia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local long form: Eesti Vabariik
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Tallinn
Administrative divisions: 15 counties (maakonnad, singular -
maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi),
Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu),
Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva),
Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuessaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa
(Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)
note: counties have the administrative center name following in
parentheses
Independence: 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24
February 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 6
September 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1992
Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of
legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Executive branch: chief of state: President Lennart MERI (since 5
October 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Mart LAAR (since 29 March 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,
approved by Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if
he or she does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds
of balloting, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus
members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between
the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election
last held August-September 1996 (next to be held in the fall of
2001); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by
Parliament
election results: Lennart MERI reelected president by an electoral
assembly after Parliament was unable to break a deadlock between
MERI and RUUTEL; percent of electoral assembly vote - Lennart MERI
61%, Arnold RUUTEL 39%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Center Party 28, Union of Pro Patria (Fatherland League) 18, Reform
Party 18, Moderates 17, Country People's Party (Agrarians) 7,
Coalition Party 7, UPPE 6
Judicial branch: National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament
for life)
Political parties and leaders: Center Party or K [Edgar SAVISAAR,
chairman]; Christian People's Party [Aldo VINKEL]; Coalition Party
and Rural Union or KMU [Andrus OOBEL, chairman]; Estonian Democratic
Party (formerly Estonian Blue Party) [Jaan LAAS]; Estonian
Independence Party [leader NA]; Estonian National Democratic Party
or ENDP [leader NA]; Estonian Pensioners and Families Party [Mai
TREIAL]; Estonian Progressive Party [Andra VEIDEMANN]; Estonian
Republican Party [leader NA]; Estonian Social-Democratic Labor Party
[Tiit TOOMSALU]; Estonian Rural People's Union (1999 merger of
Estonian Country People's Party and the Estonian Rural Union) [Arvo
SIRENDI]; Party of Consolidation Today [leader NA]; People's Party
Moderates (1999 merger of People's Party and Moderates) [Andres
TARAND]; Reform Party or RE [Siim KALLAS, chairman]; Russian Party
in Estonia [Nikolai MASPANOV]; Russian Unity Party [Igor SEDASHEV];
Union of Pro Patria or Fatherland League (Isamaaliit) [Mart LAAR,
chairman]; United People's Party or UPPE [Viktor ANDREJEV, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
(correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH,
UNMIK, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Sven JURGENSON
chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101
FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Melissa WELLS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [372] 668-8100
FAX: [372] 668-8134
Flag description: pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May
1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
Estonia Economy
Economy - overview: In 2000, Estonia rebounded from the Russian
financial crisis by scaling back its budget and reorienting trade
away from Russian markets into EU member states. After GDP shrank
1.1% in 1999, the economy made a strong recovery in 2000, with
growth estimated at 6.4% - the highest in Central and Eastern
Europe. Estonia joined the World Trade Organization in November 1999
- the second Baltic state to join - and continues its EU accession
talks. For 2001, Estonians predict GDP to grow around 6%, inflation
of between 4.2%-5.3%, and a balanced budget. Substantial gains were
made in completing privatization of Estonia's few remaining large,
state-owned companies in 2000, and this momentum is expected to
continue in 2001. Estonia hopes to join the EU during the next round
of enlargement tentatively set for 2004.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $14.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 30.7%
services: 65.7% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 8.9% (1995 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.2%
highest 10%: 28.5% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 785,500 (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 20%, agriculture 11%, services
69% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11.7% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.37 billion
expenditures: $1.37 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: oil shale, shipbuilding, phosphates, electric motors,
excavators, cement, furniture, clothing, textiles, paper, shoes,
apparel
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.782 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.72%
hydro: 0.09%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.19% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.807 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 530 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 100 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, fruits, vegetables; livestock and
dairy products; fish
Exports: $3.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment 24%, wood products
20%, textiles 17%, food products 9%, metals, chemical products (1999)
Exports - partners: Finland 19.4%, Sweden 18.8%, Russia 9.2%, Latvia
8.7%, Germany 7.5%, US 2.5% (1999)
Imports: $4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 31%, chemical
products 13%, foodstuffs 11%, metal products 8%, textiles 8% (1999)
Imports - partners: Finland 22.8%, Russia 13.5%, Sweden 9.3%,
Germany 9.3%, Japan 4.7% (1999)
Debt - external: $1.6 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $137.3 million (1995)
Currency: Estonian kroon (EEK)
Currency code: EEK
Exchange rates: krooni per US dollar - 16.663 (January 2001), 16.969
(2000), 14.678 (1999), 14.075 (1998), 13.882 (1997), 12.034 (1996);
note - krooni are tied to the German deutsche mark at a fixed rate
of 8 to 1
Fiscal year: calendar year
Estonia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 476,078 (yearend 1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 475,000 (yearend 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: foreign investment in the
form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service;
Internet services available throughout most of the country; about
150,000 unfilled subscriber requests
domestic: local - the Ministry of Transport and Communications is
expanding cellular telephone services to form rural networks;
intercity - highly developed fiber-optic backbone (double loop)
system presently serving at least 16 major cities (1998)
international: fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and
Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international
switches are located in Tallinn
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3 (all AM stations inactive since July
1998), FM 82, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 1.01 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 31 (plus five repeaters) (September
1995)
Televisions: 605,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ee
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 28 (2000)
Internet users: 309,000 (2000)
Estonia Transportation
Railways: total: 1,018 km common carrier lines only; does not
include dedicated industrial lines
broad gauge: 1,018 km 1.520-m gauge (132 km electrified) (1995)
Highways: total: 30,300 km
paved: 29,200 km (including 75 km of expressways); note - these
roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to
conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or
other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather
unpaved: 1,100 km (2000)
Waterways: 320 km (perennially navigable)
Pipelines: natural gas 420 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Haapsalu, Kunda, Muuga, Paldiski, Parnu, Tallinn
Merchant marine: total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
253,460 GRT/219,727 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 19, combination bulk 1, container 5,
petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 10, short-sea passenger 6 (2000
est.)
Airports: 32 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)
Estonia Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy/Coast Guard, Air and Air
Defense Force (not officially sanctioned), Maritime Border Guard,
Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Security Forces (internal and
border troops)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 359,677 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
282,418 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 11,164
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $70 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99)
Estonia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a
technical border agreement in December 1996 which has not been
signed nor ratified by Russia as of February 2001
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from
Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin
America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from
Western Europe to Scandinavia; possible precursor manufacturing
and/or trafficking; synthetic drug production growing, trafficked to
Russia, Baltics, Finland
======================================================================
@Ethiopia
Ethiopia Introduction
Background: Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian
monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, one exception
being the Italian occupation of 1936-41. In 1974 a military junta,
the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930)
and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings,
wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was
finally toppled by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A
constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty
elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with
Eritrea that ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000 has
strengthened the ruling coalition, but has hurt the nation's economy.
Ethiopia Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,127,127 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 5,311 km
border countries: Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 830 km,
Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m
Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash,
natural gas, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 40%
forests and woodland: 25%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,900 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible
to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea
was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993
Ethiopia People
Population: 65,891,874
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.18% (male 15,647,675; female
15,442,348)
15-64 years: 50.03% (male 16,584,765; female 16,378,060)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 834,825; female 1,004,201) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 2.7% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 44.68 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 17.84 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan for refuge from
war and famine in earlier years is expected to continue for several
years; small numbers of Sudanese and Somali refugees, who fled to
Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries,
continue to return to their homes
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 99.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 44.68 years
male: 43.88 years
female: 45.51 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 10.63% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 280,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic groups: Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella
6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%,
other 3%-8%
Languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic,
other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in
schools)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.5%
male: 45.5%
female: 25.3% (1995 est.)
Ethiopia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
abbreviation: FDRE
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions: 9 ethnically-based states (kililoch,
singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations*
(astedaderoch, singular - astedader): Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa);
Afar; Amara, Binshangul Gumuz; Dire Dawa*; Gambela Hizboch; Hareri
Hizb; Oromiya; Sumale; Tigray; YeDebub Biheroch Bihereseboch na
Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region)
Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the
oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday: National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May
(1991)
Constitution: ratified December 1994; effective 22 August 1995
Legal system: currently transitional mix of national and regional
courts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President NEGASSO Gidada (since
22 August 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since NA August
1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994
constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and
approved by the House of People's Representatives
elections: president elected by the House of People's
Representatives for a six-year term; election last held NA June 1995
(next to be held NA May 2001); prime minister designated by the
party in power following legislative elections
election results: NEGASSO Gidada elected president; percent of vote
by the House of People's Representatives - NA%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of
Federation or upper chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state
assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's
Representatives or lower chamber (548 seats; members are directly
elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - OPDO 177, ANDM
134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10, ANDP
8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional
political groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed
note: irregularities and violence at a number of polling stations
necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies;
voting postponed in Somali regional state because of severe drought
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice
president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime
minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for
other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of
People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the
Federal Judicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders: Afar National Democratic Party or
ANDP [leader NA]; All-Amhara People's Organization or AAPO [KEGNAZ
MATCH Neguea Tibeb]; Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM
[TEFERA Walwa]; Bench Madji People's Democratic Organization or
BMPDO [leader NA]; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front
or BGPDUF [leader NA]; Coalition of Alternative Forces for Peace and
Democracy or CAFPD [Kifle TIGNEH Abate and BEYENE Petros]; Ethiopian
Democratic Unity Party or EDUP [Lt. Gen. TESFAYE Gebre Kidan];
Ethiopian National Democratic Party or ENDP [FEKADU Gedamu];
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES
Zenawi] (an alliance of the ANDM, OPDO, and TPLF); Gedeyo People's
Revolutionary Democratic Movement or GPRDF [leader NA]; Gurange
Nationalities Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA]; Kafa Shaka
People's Democratic Organization or KSPDO [leader NA]; Kembata,
Alabaa, and Tembaro or KAT [leader NA]; Oromo Liberation Front or
OLF [DAOUD Ibsa Gudina]; Oromo People's Democratic Organization or
OPDO [KUMA Demeksa]; Sidama People's Democratic Organization or SPDO
[leader NA]; South Omo People's Democratic Movement or SOPDM [leader
NA]; Tigrai People's Liberation Front or TPLF [MELES Zenawi];
Walayta, Gamo, Gofa, Dawro, Konta People's Democratic Organization
or WGGPDO [leader NA]; dozens of small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Southern Ethiopia People's
Democratic Coalition; numerous small, ethnically based groups have
formed since the defeat of the former MENGISTU regime in 1991,
including several Islamic militant groups
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 686-9857
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Tibor P. NAGY, Jr.
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] (1) 550666
FAX: [251] (1) 551328
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays
emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk
centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent
country in Africa, and the colors of her flag were so often adopted
by other African countries upon independence that they became known
as the pan-African colors
Ethiopia Economy
Economy - overview: Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture,
which accounts for half of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total
employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent periods of
drought and poor cultivation practices, and as many as 4.6 million
people need food assistance annually. Coffee is critical to the
Ethiopian economy, and Ethiopia earned $267 million in 1999 by
exporting 105,000 metric tons. According to current estimates,
coffee contributes 10% of Ethiopia's GDP. More than 15 million
people (25% of the population) derive their livelihood from the
coffee sector. Other exports include live animals, hides, gold, and
qat. In December 1999, Ethiopia signed a $1.4 billion joint venture
deal to develop a huge natural gas field in the Somali Regional
State. The war with Eritrea forced the government to spend scarce
resources on the military and to scale back ambitious development
plans. Foreign investment has declined significantly. Government
taxes imposed in late 1999 to raise money for the war depressed an
already weak economy. The war forced the government to improve roads
and other parts of the previously neglected infrastructure, but only
certain regions of the nation benefited. Recovery from the war is
mostly contingent on natural factors. A drought has continued into
the end of 2000 and food relief is expected to be needed through
mid-2001 at least. Ethiopia may receive Highly Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) debt relief by the end of the year.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $39.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 45%
industry: 12%
services: 43% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 33.7% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 80%,
government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $1.48 billion, including capital expenditures of $415
million (FY96/97)
Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals
processing, cement
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.625 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.08%
hydro: 96.92%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.511 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane,
potatoes, qat; hides, cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: $460 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: coffee, gold, leather products, oilseeds, qat
Exports - partners: Germany 16%, Japan 13%, Djibouti 10%, Saudi
Arabia 7% (1999 est.)
Imports: $1.25 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: food and live animals, petroleum and
petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 28%, Italy 10%, Russia 7%, US 6%
(1999 est.)
Debt - external: $10 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $367 million (FY95/96)
Currency: birr (ETB)
Currency code: ETB
Exchange rates: birr per US dollar (end of period) - 8.3140
(December 2000), 8.3140 (2000), 8.1340 (1999), 7.5030 (1998), 6.8640
(1997), 6.4260 (1996)
note: since May 1993, the birr market rate has been determined in
an interbank market supported by weekly wholesale auction
Fiscal year: 8 July - 7 July
Ethiopia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 157,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,000 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: open wire and microwave radio
relay system adequate for government use
domestic: open wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in
the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites provide
the national trunk service
international: open wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio
relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat
(1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 0, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios: 11.75 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 25 (1999)
Televisions: 320,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .et
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 7,200 (1999)
Ethiopia Transportation
Railways: total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis
Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: in April 1998, Djibouti and Ethiopia announced plans to
revitalize the century-old railroad that links their capitals; since
May 1998 Ethiopia has expended considerable effort to repair and
maintain the lines
Highways: total: 24,145 km
paved: 3,290 km
unpaved: 20,855 km (1998)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; Ethiopia is landlocked and was by agreement
with Eritrea using the ports of Assab and Massawa; since the border
dispute with Eritrea flared, Ethiopia has used the port of Djibouti
for nearly all of its imports
Merchant marine: total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
85,382 GRT/108,526 DWT
ships by type: cargo 6, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll
on/roll off 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 86 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 12
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 74
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 35
under 914 m: 20 (2000 est.)
Ethiopia Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Air Force, Police, Militia
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the
independence of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in
Eritrean possession and ships which belonged to the former Ethiopian
Navy and based at Djibouti have been sold
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,537,884 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
7,581,815 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 703,625
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $138 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY98/99)
Ethiopia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: most of the southern half of the boundary
with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; as a result of
the 12 December 2000 peace agreement ending a two year war with
Eritrea, the UN will administer a 25-km wide temporary security zone
within Eritrea until a joint boundary commission delimits and
demarcates a final boundary; dispute over alignment of boundary with
Eritrea led to armed conflict in 1998; a peace accord signed in
December 2000 provides for UN-assisted arbitration and demarcation
of the border
Illicit drugs: transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and
Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and North America as well as
cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat
(khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti
and Somalia
======================================================================
@Europa Island
Europa Island Introduction
Background: A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily
wooded; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a
weather station.
Europa Island Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about
one-half of the way from southern Madagascar to southern Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 22 20 S, 40 22 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 28 sq km
land: 28 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.16 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 22.2 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: low and flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 24 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 100%
other: 0%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: wildlife sanctuary
Europa Island People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a small French military garrison (July 2001 est.)
Europa Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Europa Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Europa
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high
commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Europa Island Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Europa Island Communications
Communications - note: 1 meteorological station
Europa Island Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Europa Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Europa Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar
======================================================================
@Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Introduction
Background: Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592,
the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century
later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established
until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and
the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute,
first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina.
The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval
garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April
1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed
seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine
surrender on 14 June 1982.
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Geography
Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic
Ocean, east of southern Argentina
Geographic coordinates: 51 45 S, 59 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 12,173 sq km
land: 12,173 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and
about 200 small islands
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,288 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain
occurs on more than half of days in year; occasional snow all year,
except in January and February, but does not accumulate
Terrain: rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Natural resources: fish, wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 99%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 1% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: strong winds persist throughout the year
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: deeply indented coast provides good natural
harbors; short growing season
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) People
Population: 2,895 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%
Population growth rate: 2.43% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Falkland Islander(s)
adjective: Falkland Island
Ethnic groups: British
Religions: primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church,
Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day
Adventist
Languages: English
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by
Argentina
Government type: NA
Capital: Stanley
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK; also
claimed by Argentina)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by
Argentina)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution: 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Legal system: English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952)
head of government: Governor Donald LAMONT (since NA May 1999);
Chief Executive A. M. GURR (since NA); Financial Secretary D. F.
HOWATT (since NA)
cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the
Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the
financial secretary), and the governor
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - 2 ex
officio, 8 elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms)
presided over by the governor
elections: last held 9 October 1997 (next to be held NA October
2001)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 8
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident);
Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and
criminal divisions)
Political parties and leaders: none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: ICFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms in a white
disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms
contains a white ram (sheep raising is the major economic activity)
above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands)
with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Economy
Economy - overview: The economy was formerly based on agriculture,
mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of
economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing
licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falklands
exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40
million per year, which goes to support the island's health,
education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish
taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish
winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the
UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. To encourage tourism,
the Falkland Islands Development Corporation has built three lodges
for visitors attracted by the abundant wildlife and trout fishing.
The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British
Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around
the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial
reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date no
exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina
and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty
conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential
oil reserves.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $52 million (FY95/96 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1% (FY95/96 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $19,000 (FY95/96 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1998)
Labor force: 1,100 (est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 95% (mostly sheepherding
and fishing)
Unemployment rate: full employment; labor shortage
Budget: revenues: $66.2 million
expenditures: $67.9 million, including capital expenditures of
$23.2 million (FY98/99 est.)
Industries: wool and fish processing; sale of stamps and coins
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 12 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 11.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy
products
Exports: $7.6 million (1995)
Exports - commodities: wool, hides, meat
Exports - partners: UK, Japan, Chile, NZ
Imports: $24.7 million (1995)
Imports - commodities: fuel, food and drink, building materials,
clothing
Imports - partners: UK, Japan, Chile, NZ
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $1.7 million (1995)
Currency: Falkland pound (FKP)
Currency code: FKP
Exchange rates: Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January
2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997),
0.6403 (1996); note - the Falkland pound is at par with the British
pound
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB
radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all
points on both islands
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) with links through London to other countries
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 1,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (operated by the British Forces
Broadcasting Service) (1997)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .fk
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 440 km
paved: 50 km
unpaved: 390 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Stanley
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Military
Military branches: British Forces Falkland Islands (includes Army,
Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and Royal Marines), Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Argentina
======================================================================
@Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands Introduction
Background: The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended
from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands
have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A
high degree of self-government was attained in 1948.
Faroe Islands Geography
Location: Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea
and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland
to Norway
Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 7 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 1,399 sq km
land: 1,399 sq km
water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)
Area - comparative: eight times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,117 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or
median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
Terrain: rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m
Natural resources: fish, whales, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 94% (1996)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one
uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically
located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic;
precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands
Faroe Islands People
Population: 45,661 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.62% (male 5,193; female 5,136)
15-64 years: 63.64% (male 15,463; female 13,596)
65 years and over: 13.74% (male 2,802; female 3,471) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.78% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.69 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.59 years
male: 75.12 years
female: 82.06 years
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Faroese (singular and plural)
adjective: Faroese
Ethnic groups: Scandinavian
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran
Languages: Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
note: similar to Denmark proper
Faroe Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Faroe Islands
local long form: none
local short form: Foroyar
Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing
overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948
Government type: NA
Capital: Torshavn
Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark;
self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); there
are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are 49 municipalities
Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing
overseas administrative division of Denmark)
National holiday: Olaifest, 29 July
Constitution: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Legal system: Danish
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark
(since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Ms. Vibeke
LARSEN, chief administrative officer (since NA)
head of government: Prime Minister Anfinn KALLSBERG (since 15 May
1998)
cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed
by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
party that wins the most seats is usually elected prime minister by
the Faroese Parliament; election last held 30 April 1998 (next to be
held no later than April 2002)
election results: Anfinn KALLSBERG elected prime minister; percent
of parliamentary vote - 52.8%
note: coalition of People's Party, Republican Party and Home Rule
Party
Legislative branch: unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (32
seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis
from the seven constituencies to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 April 1998 (next to be held not later than
April 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - Republican Party
23.8%, People's Party 21.3%, Social Democratic Party 21.9%, Union
Party 18%, Home Rue Party 7.7%, Center Party 4.1%; seats by party -
Republican Party 8, People's Party 8, Social Democratic Party 7,
Union Party 6, Home Rule Party 2, Center Party 1
note: election of 2 seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on
11 March 1998 (next to be held not later than March 2002); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Social Democratic
Party 1, People's Party 1
Judicial branch: none
Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Home
Rule Party [Helena Dam a NEYSTABO]; People's Party [Oli BRECKMANN];
Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes
EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Edmund JOENSEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: NC, NIB
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark)
Flag description: white with a red cross outlined in blue that
extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is
shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Faroe Islands Economy
Economy - overview: The Faroese economy has had a strong performance
since 1994, mostly as a result of increasing fish landings and high
and stable export prices. Unemployment is falling and there are
signs of labor shortages in several sectors. The positive economic
development has helped the Faroese Home Rule Government produce
increasing budget surpluses which in turn help to reduce the large
public debt, most of it owed to Denmark. However, the total
dependence on fishing makes the Faroese economy extremely
vulnerable, and the present fishing efforts appear in excess of what
is required to ensure a sustainable level of fishing in the long
term. Oil finds close to the Faroese area give hope for deposits in
the immediate Faroese area, which may eventually lay the basis for a
more diversified economy and thus less dependence on Denmark and
Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy
(15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not
far below the Danes and other Scandinavians.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $910 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 27%
industry: 11%
services: 62% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.1% (1999)
Labor force: 24,250 (October 2000)
Labor force - by occupation: fishing, fish processing, and
manufacturing 33%, construction and private services 33%, public
services 34%
Unemployment rate: 1% (October 2000)
Budget: revenues: $488 million
expenditures: $484 million, including capital expenditures of $21
million (1999)
Industries: fishing, fish processing, shipbuilding, construction,
handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 8% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 170 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 58.82%
hydro: 41.18%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 158.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon,
other fish
Exports: $471 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships
(1999)
Exports - partners: Denmark 32%, UK 21%, France 9%, Germany 7%,
Iceland 5%, US 5% (1996)
Imports: $469 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 29%,
consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, fuels,
fish and salt (1999)
Imports - partners: Denmark 28%, Norway 26%, Germany 7%, UK 6%
Sweden 5%, Iceland 4%, US (1999)
Debt - external: $64 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $135 million (annual subsidy from Denmark)
(1999)
Currency: Danish krone (DKK)
Currency code: DKK
Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 7.951 (January 2001),
8.093 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997), 5.799 (1966)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Faroe Islands Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 24,851 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 10,761 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: good international
communications; good domestic facilities
domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog)
and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic
submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands
with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to
Canada-Europe cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 26,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus 43 low-power repeaters)
(September 1995)
Televisions: 15,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .fo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 3,000 (2000)
Faroe Islands Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 463 km
paved: 454 km
unpaved: 9 km (1999)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Torshavn, Klaksvik, Tvoroyri, Runavik,
Fuglafjorour
Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,247
GRT/11,736 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1,
roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Faroe Islands Military
Military branches: defense is the responsibility of Denmark; no
organized native military forces; only a small Police Force and
Coast Guard are maintained
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Denmark
Faroe Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Faroese are considering proposals for full
independence
======================================================================
@Fiji
Fiji Introduction
Background: Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century
as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military
coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as
dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers
brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). A 1990
constitution favored native Melanesian control of Fiji, but led to
heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic
difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority.
Amendments enacted in 1997 made the constitution more equitable.
Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by
an Indo-Fijian, but a coup in May of 2000 ushered in a prolonged
period of political turmoil. New elections are scheduled for August
2001.
Fiji Geography
Location: Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S, 175 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 18,270 sq km
land: 18,270 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,129 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation;
rectilinear shelf claim added
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m
Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil
potential, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 10%
forests and woodland: 65%
other: 11% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: cyclonic storms can occur from November to January
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: includes 332 islands of which approximately 110
are inhabited
Fiji People
Population: 844,330 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.92% (male 141,724; female 136,216)
15-64 years: 63.52% (male 268,411; female 267,871)
65 years and over: 3.56% (male 14,007; female 16,101) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.41% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 23.33 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.25 years
male: 65.83 years
female: 70.78 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.86 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.07% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Fijian(s)
adjective: Fijian
Ethnic groups: Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a
Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific
Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.)
Religions: Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu
38%, Muslim 8%, other 2%
note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is
a Muslim minority (1986)
Languages: English (official), Fijian, Hindustani
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.6%
male: 93.8%
female: 89.3% (1995 est.)
Fiji Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands
conventional short form: Fiji
Government type: republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally
declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
Capital: Suva
Administrative divisions: 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central,
Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western
Independence: 10 October 1970 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970)
Constitution: 10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); a new
constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25
July 1990; amended 25 July 1997 to allow nonethnic Fijians greater
say in government and to make multiparty government mandatory;
entered into force 28 July 1998; note - the May 1999 election was
the first test of the amended constitution and introduced open
voting - not racially prescribed - for the first time at the
national level
Legal system: based on British system
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: note: armed ethnic Fijian terrorists, led by
George SPEIGHT stormed the Parliament building on 19 May 2000;
ethnic Indo-Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra CHAUDHRY and his
government were held hostage for 56 days; following the attempted
coup, the Commander of the Fiji Military Forces, naval Commodore
Frank BAINIMARAMA declared martial law and dissolved the government
on 29 May 2000; an interim government, headed by interim Prime
Minister Laisenia QARASE, was appointed to serve until a new
constitution was initiated and subsequent elections held; in
November 2000, Fiji's High Court upheld the 1997 constitution and
ruled that Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA remained the president; Justice
Anthony GATES concluded that MARA should recall the pre-May 19th
Parliament and appoint a prime minister to form a new government;
the Fiji Court of Appeals upheld GATES' decision on 1 March 2001; it
ruled that the 1997 constitution had not been abrogated, Parliament
had not been dissolved, only prorogued for six months, and that the
presidency remained vacant since MARA's resignation took effect 15
December 2000; President Ratu Josefa ILOILO reinstated QARASE's
interim government as the caretaker government and elections were
scheduled for August 2001; approximately 23 fluid political parties
are currently jockeying for power
chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILO (since NA 2000); Vice
President Jope SENILOLI (since NA 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since NA 2000);
Deputy Prime Minister Epeli NAILATIKAU (since NA 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament; note -there
is also a Presidential Council that advises the president on matters
of national importance and a Great Council of Chiefs which consists
of the highest ranking members of the traditional chiefly system
elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a
five-year term; prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILO elected president by the Great
Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32
seats; 14 appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs, nine appointed
by the prime minister, eight appointed by the leader of the
opposition, and one appointed by the council of Rotuma) and the
House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians,
19 reserved for ethnic Indians, three reserved for other ethnic
groups, one reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency
encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 11 May 1999 (next
to be held NA May 2004)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - Fiji Labor Party 37, others 34
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president)
Political parties and leaders: Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra
CHAUDHRY]; Fijian Nationalist Federation Party or NFP [Singh RAKKA];
Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Maj. Gen. Sitiveni
RABUKA]; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Jai
Ram REDDY]; United General Party or UGP [David PICKERING]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, CCC, CP,
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU,
OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Salaseini Lelelvawalu
VOSAILAGI
chancery: Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Osman M. SIDDIQUE
embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva
mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva
telephone: [679] 314466
FAX: [679] 300081
Flag description: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half
of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field
quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of
sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove
Fiji Economy
Economy - overview: Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish
resources, is one of the most developed of the Pacific island
economies, though still with a large subsistence sector. Sugar
exports and a growing tourist industry are the major sources of
foreign exchange. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial
activity. Roughly 300,000 tourists visit each year, including
thousands of Americans following the start of regularly scheduled
non-stop air service from Los Angeles. Fiji's growth slowed in 1997
because the sugar industry suffered from low world prices and rent
disputes between farmers and landowners. Drought in 1998 further
damaged the sugar industry, but its recovery in 1999 contributed to
robust GDP growth. Long-term problems include low investment and
uncertain property rights. The political turmoil in Fiji has had a
severe impact with the economy shrinking by 8% in 1999 and over
7,000 people losing their jobs. The interim government's 2001 budget
is an attempt to attract foreign investment and restart economic
activity. The government's ability to manage the budget and fulfill
predictions of 4% growth for 2001 will depend on a return to
stability, a regaining of investor confidence, and the absence of
international sanctions (which could cripple Fiji's sugar and
textile industry).
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.9 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -8% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,300 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16%
industry: 30%
services: 54% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 235,000
Labor force - by occupation: subsistence agriculture 67%, wage
earners 18%, salary earners 15% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 6% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $610 million
expenditures: $501 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber,
small cottage industries
Industrial production growth rate: 2.9% (1995)
Electricity - production: 510 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 17.65%
hydro: 82.35%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 474.3 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca),
rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish
Exports: $537 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish
Exports - partners: Australia 33.1%, US 14.8%, UK 13.8%, other
Pacific island countries 8.8%, NZ 4.5%, Japan 4.5% (1999)
Imports: $653 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport
equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals
Imports - partners: Australia 41.9%, US 14%, NZ 13.3%, Japan 4.8%,
Taiwan 1.9% (1999)
Debt - external: $193 million (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $40.3 million (1995)
Currency: Fijian dollar (FJD)
Currency code: FJD
Exchange rates: Fijian dollars per US dollar - 2.1814 (January
2001), 2.1286 (2000), 1.9696 (1999), 1.9868 (1998), 1.4437 (1997),
1.4033 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Fiji Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 72,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 5,200 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern local, interisland,
and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose
telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio
communications center
domestic: NA
international: access to important cable links between US and
Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth station
- 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 500,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: 21,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .fj
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 7,500 (2000)
Fiji Transportation
Railways: total: 597 km; note - belongs to the government-owned
Fiji Sugar Corporation
narrow gauge: 597 km 0.610-m gauge (1995)
Highways: total: 3,440 km
paved: 1,692 km
unpaved: 1,748 km (1996)
Waterways: 203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges
Ports and harbors: Lambasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Savusavu, Suva
Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,870
GRT/14,787 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1,
roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 27 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 19 (2000 est.)
Fiji Military
Military branches: Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; includes
ground and naval forces)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 227,599 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
125,238 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 9,471
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $24 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY98)
Fiji Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Finland
Finland Introduction
Background: Ruled by Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and
by Russia from 1809, Finland finally won its independence in 1917.
During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom
and fend off invasions by the Soviet Union and Germany. In the
subsequent half century, the Finns have made a remarkable
transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern
industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western
Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only
Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January
1999.
Finland Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of
Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 64 00 N, 26 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 337,030 sq km
land: 305,470 sq km
water: 31,560 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 2,628 km
border countries: Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
Coastline: 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 NM)
Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively
mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current,
Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes
and low hills
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m
Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use: arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 76%
other: 16% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 640 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: air pollution from manufacturing and
power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from
industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens
wildlife populations
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is
northernmost national capital on European continent; population
concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
Finland People
Population: 5,175,783 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 474,967; female 456,584)
15-64 years: 66.97% (male 1,750,660; female 1,715,358)
65 years and over: 15.03% (male 300,569; female 477,645) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.16% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 10.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.58 years
male: 73.92 years
female: 81.36 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Finn(s)
adjective: Finnish
Ethnic groups: Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Sami 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar
0.02%
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%,
other 1%
Languages: Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small
Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Finland Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Finland
conventional short form: Finland
local long form: Suomen Tasavalta
local short form: Suomi
Government type: republic
Capital: Helsinki
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani);
Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani,
Lappi, Oulun Laani
Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Russia)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Constitution: 17 July 1919
Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court
may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1
March 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Paavo LIPPONEN (since 13 April
1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sauli NIINISTO (since 13 April 1995)
cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the
president, responsible to Parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 6 February 2000 (next to be held NA February
2006); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed from the
majority party by the president after parliamentary elections
election results: Tarja HALONEN elected president; percent of vote
- Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 51.6%, Esco AHO (Kesk) 48.4%
note: government coalition - SDP, Kok, Leftist Alliance (People's
Democratic Union and Democratic Alternative), SFP, and Green Union
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats;
members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 21 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - SDP 22.9%, Kesk 22.5%,
Kok 21.0%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 10.9%, SFP 5.1%, Green Union
7.2%, SKL 4.2%; seats by party - SDP 51, Kesk 48, Kok 46, Leftist
Alliance (Communist) 20, SFP 11, Green Union 11, SKL 10, other 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed
by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Center Party or Kesk [Esko AHO];
Finnish Christian Union or SKL [C. P. Bjarne KALLIS]; Green Union
[Satu HASSI]; Leftist Alliance (Communist) composed of People's
Democratic League and Democratic Alternative [Suvi-Anne SIIMES];
National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Sauli NIINISTO];
Reform Group [Risto KUISMA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Paavo
LIPPONEN]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Jan-Erik ENESTAM]; True
Finns [Timo SOINI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Communist Workers Party [Timo
LAHDENMAKI]; Constitutional Rightist Party; Finnish Communist
Party-Unity [Yrjo HAKANEN]; Finnish Pensioners Party
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU,
FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU,
WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jaakko Tapani LAAJAVA
chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800
FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Carol VAN VOORST
embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, FIN-00140, Helsinki
mailing address: APO AE 09723
telephone: [358] (9) 171931
FAX: [358] (9) 174681
Flag description: white with a blue cross that extends to the edges
of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist
side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Finland Economy
Economy - overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely
free-market economy, with per capita output roughly that of the UK,
France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing
- principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and
electronics industries. Trade is important, with exports equaling
more than one-third of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals,
Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some
components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate,
agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency
in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a
secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing
integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 11
countries joining the euro monetary system (EMU) on 1 January 1999 -
will dominate the economic picture over the next several years.
Growth in 2001 will be bolstered by strong private consumption, yet
may be 1 or 2 points lower than in 2000, largely because of a
weakening in export demand.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $118.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $22,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 29%
services: 67.5% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
4.2%
highest 10%: 21.6% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.6 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: public services 32%, industry 22%,
commerce 14%, finance, insurance, and business services 10%,
agriculture and forestry 8%, transport and communications 8%,
construction 6%
Unemployment rate: 9.8% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $36.1 billion
expenditures: $31 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: metal products, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, copper
refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2000)
Electricity - production: 75.792 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 41.88%
hydro: 16.77%
nuclear: 28.82%
other: 12.53% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 81.611 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 232 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 11.356 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy
cattle; fish
Exports: $44.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals;
timber, paper, pulp
Exports - partners: EU 58% (Germany 13%, Sweden 10%, UK 9%, France
5%, Netherlands 4%), US 8%, Russia, Japan (1999)
Imports: $32.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products,
chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile
yarn and fabrics, grains
Imports - partners: EU 60% (Germany 15%, Sweden 11%, UK 7%), US 8%,
Russia 7%, Japan 6% (1999)
Debt - external: $30 billion (December 1993)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $379 million (1997)
Currency: markka (FIM); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Finland
at a fixed rate of 5.94573 markkaa per euro and will replace the
local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: FIM; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); markkaa per US dollar - 5.3441 (1998), 5.1914
(1997), 4.5936 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Finland Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.861 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,162,574 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system with excellent
service
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and an extensive cellular
net provide domestic needs
international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - access
to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth
station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note -
Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic
countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 7.7 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 130 (plus 385 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 3.2 million (1997)
Internet country code: .fi
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 23 (2000)
Internet users: 2.27 million (2000)
Finland Transportation
Railways: total: 5,865 km
broad gauge: 5,865 km 1.524-m gauge (2,192 km electrified; 480 km
double or multiple track) (1998)
Highways: total: 77,796 km
paved: 49,789 km (including 444 km of expressways)
unpaved: 28,042 km (1999)
Waterways: 6,675 km
note: includes Saimaa Canal; 3,700 km suitable for large ships
Pipelines: natural gas 580 km
Ports and harbors: Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu,
Pori, Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus
Merchant marine: total: 98 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,172,808 GRT/1,138,175 DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 23, chemical tanker 5, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 11, railcar carrier 1, roll on/roll off 37,
short-sea passenger 11 (2000 est.)
Airports: 159 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 69
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 90
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 84 (2000 est.)
Finland Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (includes
Sea Guard)
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,251,700 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,033,188 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 33,883
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.8 billion (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY98)
Finland Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@France
France Introduction
Background: Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II,
France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower,
and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is
one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among
European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential
democracy resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier
parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and
cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic
integration of Europe, including the advent of the euro in January
1999. Presently, France is at the forefront of European states
seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to advance the
creation of a more unified and capable European defense and security
apparatus.
France Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English
Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering
the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 2 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 547,030 sq km
land: 545,630 sq km
water: 1,400 sq km
note: includes only metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas
administrative divisions
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Colorado
Land boundaries: total: 2,889 km
border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km,
Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km,
Switzerland 573 km
Coastline: 3,427 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM (does not apply to the
Mediterranean)
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters
and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold,
dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral
Terrain: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and
west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps
in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, potash, timber,
fish
Land use: arable land: 33%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 27%
other: 18% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 16,300 sq km (1995 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding; avalanches
Environment - current issues: some forest damage from acid rain
(major forest damage occurred as a result of severe December 1999
windstorm); air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;
water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: largest West European nation
France People
Population: 59,551,227 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.68% (male 5,698,604; female 5,426,838)
15-64 years: 65.19% (male 19,424,018; female 19,399,588)
65 years and over: 16.13% (male 3,900,579; female 5,701,600) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.37% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.09 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.9 years
male: 75.01 years
female: 83.01 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.44% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North
African, Indochinese, Basque minorities
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim
(North African workers) 3%, unaffiliated 4%
Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and
languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,
Flemish)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1980 est.)
France Government
Country name: conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique Francaise
local short form: France
Government type: republic
Capital: Paris
Administrative divisions: 22 regions (regions, singular - region);
Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne,
Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie,
Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine,
Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie,
Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes
note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the
"territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided
into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas
departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the
overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and
Miquelon)
Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso
Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis
and Futuna
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis)
National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of
president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC
Maastricht Treaty in 1992; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of
administrative but not legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since
17 May 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Lionel JOSPIN (since 3 June 1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
suggestion of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 23 April and 7 May 1995 (next to be held by May
2002); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority
and appointed by the president
election results: Jacques CHIRAC elected president; percent of
vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 52.64%, Lionel JOSPIN
(PS) 47.36%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of
the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for
overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals
abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to
serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years) and the
National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are
elected by popular vote under a single-member majoritarian system to
serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held
September 2001); National Assembly - last held 25 May-1 June 1997
(next to be held NA May 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - RPR 99, UDC 52, DL 47, PS 78, PCF 16, other 29; National
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PS 245,
RPR 140, UDF 109, PCF 37, PRS 13, MEI 8, MDC 7, LDI-MPF 1, FN 1,
various left 9, various right 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation
(judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High
Council of the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil
Constitutionnel (three members appointed by the president, three
appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three
appointed by the president of the Senate); Council of State or
Conseil d'Etat
Political parties and leaders: Citizens Movement or MdC [Jean Pierre
CHEVENEMENT]; French Communist Party or PCF [Robert HUE];
Independent Ecological Movement or MEI [Antoine WAECHTER]; Left
Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and
the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Liberal
Democracy or DL (originally Republican Party or PR) [Alain MADELIN];
Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DEVILLIERS]; National Front or
FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michelle
ALLIOT-MARIE]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; Union for
French Democracy or UDF (coalition of UDC, FD, RRRS, PPDF) [Francois
BAYROU]; Union of the Center or UDC [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Communist-controlled labor
union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, nearly 2.4 million
members (claimed); independent labor union or Force Ouvriere, 1
million members (est.); independent white-collar union or
Confederation Generale des Cadres, 340,000 members (claimed);
National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat
Francais) or CNPF or Patronat; Socialist-leaning labor union
(Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, about
800,000 members (est.)
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU,
FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM
(guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC,
UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNTSO,
UNU, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Francois V. BUJON DE L'ESTANG
chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000
FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate Howard H. LEACH; Charge d'Affaires Douglas L.
McELHANEY
embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08
mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777
telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22
FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83
consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
white, and red; known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the
design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags,
including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire,
Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the official flag for all French
dependent areas
France Economy
Economy - overview: France is in the midst of transition, from an
economy that featured extensive government ownership and
intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The
government remains dominant in some sectors, particularly power,
public transport, and defense industries, but it has been relaxing
its control since the mid-1980s. The Socialist-led government has
sold off part of its holdings in France Telecom, Air France, Thales,
Thomson Multimedia, and the European Aerospace and Defense Company
(EADS). The telecommunications sector is gradually being opened to
competition. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in
which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies,
and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of
free markets on public health and welfare. The government has done
little to cut generous unemployment and retirement benefits which
impose a heavy tax burden and discourage hiring. It has also shied
from measures that would dramatically increase the use of stock
options and retirement investment plans; such measures would boost
the stock market and fast-growing IT firms as well as ease the
burden on the pension system, but would disproportionately benefit
the rich. In addition to the tax burden, the reduction of the work
week to 35-hours has drawn criticism for lowering the
competitiveness of French companies.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.448 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 26.1%
services: 70.6% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 25 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: services 71%, industry 25%, agriculture
4% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 9.7% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $210 billion
expenditures: $240 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft,
electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 497.26 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 9.69%
hydro: 14.39%
nuclear: 75.43%
other: 0.49% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 398.752 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 68.7 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 5 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine
grapes; beef, dairy products; fish
Exports: $325 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and
steel, beverages
Exports - partners: EU 63% (Germany 16%, UK 10%, Spain 9%, Italy 9%,
Belgium-Luxembourg 8%), US 8% (1999)
Imports: $320 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil,
aircraft, plastics, chemicals
Imports - partners: EU 62% (Germany 16%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%,
Italy 9%, UK 8%), US 7% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $106 billion (1998)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $6.3 billion (1997)
Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in France
at a fixed rate of 6.55957 French francs per euro and will replace
the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: FRF; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.65 (January
1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
France Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 34.86 million (yearend 1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 11.078 million (yearend 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive
introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of
5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA
Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone
communications with more than 20 countries
Radio broadcast stations: AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an
approximation and includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 55.3 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 34.8 million (1997)
Internet country code: .fr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 62 (2000)
Internet users: 9 million (2000)
France Transportation
Railways: total: 31,939 km (31,939 km are operated by French
National Railways (SNCF); 14,176 km of SNCF routes are electrified
and 12,132 km are double- or multiple-tracked)
standard gauge: 31,840 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 99 km 1.000-m gauge (1998)
Highways: total: 892,900 km
paved: 892,900 km (including 9,900 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Waterways: 14,932 km (6,969 km heavily traveled)
Pipelines: crude oil 3,059 km; petroleum products 4,487 km; natural
gas 24,746 km
Ports and harbors: Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque,
La Pallice, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nantes, Paris,
Rouen, Saint Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg
Merchant marine: total: 46 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
942,333 GRT/1,304,754 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 4, chemical tanker 6, combination bulk
1, container 1, liquefied gas 3, multi-functional large-load carrier
1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 17, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea
passenger 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Germany 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 475 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 268
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 94
914 to 1,523 m: 72
under 914 m: 58 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 207
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 73
under 914 m: 130 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 3 (2000 est.)
France Military
Military branches: Army (includes Marines), Navy (includes Naval
Air), Air Force (includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,573,199 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
12,127,793 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 390,064
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $39.831 billion (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY97)
France Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa
Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island;
Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island;
territorial dispute between Suriname and French Guiana; territorial
claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Matthew and Hunter Islands east
of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of South
American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics
======================================================================
@French Guiana
French Guiana Introduction
Background: First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was
the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European
Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou.
French Guiana Geography
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic
Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 53 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 91,000 sq km
land: 89,150 sq km
water: 1,850 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 1,183 km
border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Coastline: 378 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered),
cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 90%
other: 10% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: high frequency of heavy showers and severe
thunderstorms; flooding
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: mostly an unsettled wilderness
French Guiana People
Population: 177,562 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.47% (male 27,669; female 26,428)
15-64 years: 64.05% (male 61,457; female 52,266)
65 years and over: 5.48% (male 4,937; female 4,805) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.74% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 22.02 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.77 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 10.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.3 years
male: 72.97 years
female: 79.79 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.17 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective: French Guianese
Ethnic groups: black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian,
Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Religions: Roman Catholic
Languages: French
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83%
male: 84%
female: 82% (1982 est.)
French Guiana Government
Country name: conventional long form: Department of Guiana
conventional short form: French Guiana
local long form: none
local short form: Guyane
Dependency status: overseas department of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Cayenne
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of
France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN
(since NA January 1997)
head of government: President of the General Council Andre LECANTE
(since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council Antoine
KARAM (since 22 March 1992)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General
and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General
(19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be
held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to
be held NA 2004)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA; Regional Council - percent of vote by party -
PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents
8.6%, Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left
parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 2
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September
1998 (next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote
by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the
French National Assembly on 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR
1, PSG 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local
court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique,
Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Political parties and leaders: Guianese Socialist Party or PSG
[Antoine KARAM]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY];
Rally for the Republic or RPR [Roland HO-WEN-SZE]; Socialist Party
or PS [Pierre RIBARDIERE] (may be a subset of PSG); Walwari
Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of
France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
French Guiana Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is tied closely to that of France
through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at
Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic
activities. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully
exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry which provides sawn
logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal
area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc
are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports
of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly
among younger workers.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1992)
Labor force: 58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: services, government, and commerce
60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Unemployment rate: 21.4% (1998)
Budget: revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105
million (1996)
Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum,
gold mining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 440 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 409.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa,
vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Exports: $155 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence,
clothing
Exports - partners: France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997)
Imports: $625 million (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities: food (grains, processed meat), machinery and
transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners: France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997)
Debt - external: $1.2 billion (1988)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Currency code: FRF; EUR
Exchange rates: Euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
French Guiana Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 47,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters),
shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Radios: 104,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 30,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gf
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
French Guiana Transportation
Railways: 0 km (1995)
Highways: total: 1,817 km
paved: 817 km
unpaved: 1,000 km (1998)
Waterways: 3,300 km navigable by native craft
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and
river steamers
Ports and harbors: Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du
Maroni
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 11 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
French Guiana Military
Military branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 49,495 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
32,052 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
French Guiana Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Suriname claims area between Riviere
Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Illicit drugs: small amount of marijuana grown for local
consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
======================================================================
@French Polynesia
French Polynesia Introduction
Background: The French annexed various Polynesian island groups
during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up
widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll
after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January
1996.
French Polynesia Geography
Location: Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from South America to Australia
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 140 00 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls)
land: 3,660 sq km
water: 507 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than one-third the size of
Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 2,525 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical, but moderate
Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m
Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 57% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: occasional cyclonic storms in January
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: includes five archipelagoes; Makatea in French
Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the
Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and
Nauru
French Polynesia People
Population: 253,506 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.74% (male 38,473; female 36,925)
15-64 years: 65.17% (male 86,128; female 79,076)
65 years and over: 5.09% (male 6,481; female 6,423) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.72% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 18.6 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.45 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 9.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.01 years
male: 72.67 years
female: 77.46 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.23 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: French Polynesian(s)
adjective: French Polynesian
Ethnic groups: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%,
metropolitan French 4%
Religions: Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 16%
Languages: French (official), Tahitian (official)
Literacy: definition: age 14 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98% (1977 est.)
French Polynesia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of French Polynesia
conventional short form: French Polynesia
local long form: Territoire de la Polynesie Francaise
local short form: Polynesie Francaise
former: French Colony of Oceania
Dependency status: overseas territory of France since 1946
Government type: NA
Capital: Papeete
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there
are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel
des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du
Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent
note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French
Polynesia
Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: based on French system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of
France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the
Republic Paul RONCIERE (since NA 1994)
head of government: President of the Territorial Government of
French Polynesia Gaston FLOSSE (since 4 April 1991); President of
the Territorial Assembly Justin ARAPARI (since 13 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members
of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as
ministers
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president
on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the
Territorial Government and the president of the Territorial Assembly
are elected by the members of the assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
Territoriale (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 22, Independent Front for
the Liberation of Polynesia 10, New Fatherland Party 5, other 4
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 24 September
1989 (next to be held NA September 1998); results - percent of vote
by party - NA; seats by party - UC 1; two seats were elected to the
French National Assembly on 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 2
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First
Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative
Law or Tribunal Administratif
Political parties and leaders: Centrist Union or UC [leader NA];
Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini
Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile
VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic (Tahoeraa Huiraatira)
[Gaston FLOSSE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate), FZ,
ICFTU, SPC, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Flag description: two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide
white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white
wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the
upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave
pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions
French Polynesia Economy
Economy - overview: Since 1962, when France stationed military
personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a
subsistence economy to one in which a high proportion of the work
force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist
industry. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a
primary source of hard currency earnings. The small manufacturing
sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory
benefited from a five-year (1994-98) development agreement with
France aimed principally at creating new jobs.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.6 billion (1997 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (1997 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,800 (1997 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 18%
services: 78% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1994)
Labor force: 70,000 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services
68% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $900 million, including capital expenditures of $185
million (1996)
Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 430 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 51.16%
hydro: 48.84%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 399.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits;
poultry, beef, dairy products
Exports: $205 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: cultured pearls 50%, coconut products,
mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat (1997)
Exports - partners: Japan 62%, US 21% (1999)
Imports: $749 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, equipment
Imports - partners: France 53%, US 13%, Australia 10% (1999)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $367 million (1997)
Currency: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)
Currency code: XPF
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US
dollar - 127.11 (January 2001), 129.44 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25
(1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00 (1996); note - pegged at the rate of
119.25 XPF to the euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
French Polynesia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 52,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 5,427 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 128,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 40,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .pf
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
French Polynesia Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 792 km
paved: 264 km
unpaved: 528 km (2000)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Mataura, Papeete, Rikitea, Uturoa
Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,240
GRT/7,765 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1
(2000 est.)
Airports: 45 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 32
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
French Polynesia Military
Military branches: French Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force),
Gendarmerie
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
French Polynesia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@French Southern and Antarctic Lands
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Introduction
Background: The Southern Lands consist of two archipelagos, Iles
Crozet and Iles Kerguelen, and two volcanic islands, Ile Amsterdam
and Ile Saint-Paul. They contain no permanent inhabitants and are
visited only by researchers studying the native fauna. The Antarctic
portion consists of "Adelie Land," a thin slice of the Antarctic
continent discovered and claimed by the French in 1840.
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Geography
Location: south of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean,
about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note -
French Southern and Antarctic Lands includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile
Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian
Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie
Land"; the US does not recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land"
Geographic coordinates: 43 00 S, 67 00 E
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area: total: 7,781 sq km
land: 7,781 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet and Iles
Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in
Antarctica that is not recognized by the US
Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,232 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM from Iles
Kerguelen only
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: antarctic
Terrain: volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Ross on Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m
Natural resources: fish, crayfish
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct
volcanoes
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: islands component is widely scattered across
remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean
French Southern and Antarctic Lands People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants (July 2001 est.)
note: in 1997, there were about 100 researchers whose numbers vary
from winter (July) to summer (January)
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of the French
Southern and Antarctic Lands
conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands
local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques
Francaises
local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises
Dependency status: overseas territory of France since 1955;
administered from Paris by High Commissioner of the Republic
Brigitte GIRARDIN (since 25 March 1998), assisted by Secretary
General Jean-Yves HERMOSO (since NA)
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there
are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are 3 districts named Ile Crozet, Iles
Kerguelen, and Iles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam; excludes "Adelie Land"
claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to servicing
meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and
other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by
foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Communications
Internet country code: .tf
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Merchant marine: total: 74 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
3,024,194 GRT/5,255,703 DWT
ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 5, chemical tanker 9, container 11,
liquefied gas 7, petroleum tanker 23, roll on/roll off 12
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: France 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: none
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Transnational Issues Top of
Page
Disputes - international: "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica is not
recognized by the US
======================================================================
@Gabon
Gabon Introduction
Background: Ruled by autocratic presidents since independence from
France in 1960, Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new
constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent
electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions. A
small population, abundant natural resources, and foreign private
investment have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous black
African countries.
Gabon Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the
Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 11 45 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 267,667 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries: total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km,
Equatorial Guinea 350 km
Coastline: 885 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and
south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m
Natural resources: petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron
ore, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 77%
other: 3% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: deforestation; poaching
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Gabon People
Population: 1,221,175
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.29% (male 203,677; female 202,833)
15-64 years: 60.77% (male 373,828; female 368,282)
65 years and over: 5.94% (male 35,867; female 36,688) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.02% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 27.42 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 17.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 94.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.59 years
male: 48.47 years
female: 50.75 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.69 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.16% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 23,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese
Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings
(Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke), other Africans and Europeans
154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual
nationality
Religions: Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira,
Bandjabi
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2%
male: 73.7%
female: 53.3% (1995 est.)
Gabon Government
Country name: conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon
local long form: Republique Gabonaise
local short form: Gabon
Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime
(opposition parties legalized in 1990)
Capital: Libreville
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue,
Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo,
Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG),
12 March (1968)
Constitution: adopted 14 March 1991
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the
Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO
(since 2 December 1967)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Francois NTOUTOUME-EMANE
(since 23 January 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO reelected; percent
of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO 66.6%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 16.5%, Fr.
Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE 13.4%
Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91
seats) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats);
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms
elections: National Assembly - last held 15 and 29 December 1996
(next to be held NA December 2001); Senate - last held 26 January
and 9 February 1997 (next to be held in January 2002)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - PDG 89, PGP 9, RNB 6, CLR 3, UPG 2, USG 2,
independents 4, others 5; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1,
independents 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three
chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional
Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts
Political parties and leaders: African Forum for Reconstruction or
FAR [Leon MBOU-YEMBI]; Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General
Jean Boniface ASSELE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE
[Divungui-di-Ndinge DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG,
former sole party [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA, secretary general];
Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE,
president]; Gabonese People's Union or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU];
Gabonese Socialist Union or USG [Serge MBA BEKALE]; National Rally
of Woodcutters (Bucherons) or RNB [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; People's
Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy and
Progress or RDP [Pierre EMBONI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD
[Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James V. LEDESMA
embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address: B. P. 4000, Libreville
telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, 74 34 92
FAX: [241] 74 55 07
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
yellow, and blue
Gabon Economy
Economy - overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that
of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a sharp
decline in extreme poverty; yet because of high income inequality a
large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on
timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early
1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues
to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, manganese, and
uranium exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, the
economy is hobbled by poor fiscal management. In 1992, the fiscal
deficit widened to 2.4% of GDP, and Gabon failed to settle arrears
on its bilateral debt, leading to a cancellation of rescheduling
agreements with official and private creditors. Devaluation of its
Francophone currency by 50% on 12 January 1994 sparked a one-time
inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF
provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year
Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning
in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000.
Those agreements mandate progress in privatization and fiscal
discipline. France provided additional financial support in January
1997 after Gabon had met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF
mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on
off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping
on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The
rebound of oil prices in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in
production hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. An
expected decline in oil output may lead to contraction in GDP in
2001-02.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10%
industry: 60%
services: 30% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 600,000
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 60%, services and
government 25%, industry and commerce 15%
Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $302
million (1996 est.)
Industries: food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood;
cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, uranium, and
gold mining; chemicals; ship repair
Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (1995)
Electricity - production: 1.02 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 29.9%
hydro: 70.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 948.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber;
cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish
Exports: $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil 75%, timber, manganese, uranium
(1998)
Exports - partners: US 47%, France 19%, China 8%, Japan 1.3% (1999)
Imports: $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs,
chemicals, petroleum products, construction materials
Imports - partners: France 64%, US 4%, UK 2%, Netherlands 2%, (1999)
Debt - external: $3.9 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $331 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Gabon Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 37,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 9,500 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a
domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 7, shortwave 6 (1998)
Radios: 208,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus five low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 63,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ga
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
Gabon Transportation
Railways: total: 649 km (Gabon State Railways or OCTRA)
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single track (1994)
Highways: total: 7,670 km
paved: 629 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,041 km (1996)
Waterways: 1,600 km (perennially navigable)
Pipelines: crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km
Ports and harbors: Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba,
Owendo, Port-Gentil
Airports: 59 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 49
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 24 (2000 est.)
Gabon Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard (charged
with protecting the president and other senior officials), National
Gendarmerie, National Police
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 281,218 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
145,062 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 11,304
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $91 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (FY96)
Gabon Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial
Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay
======================================================================
@Gambia, The
Gambia, The Introduction
Background: The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965;
it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia with Senegal
between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship
and cooperation treaty. A military coup in 1994 overthrew the
president and banned political activity, but a new 1996 constitution
and presidential elections, followed by parliamentary balloting in
1997, have completed a nominal return to civilian rule.
Gambia, The Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and
Senegal
Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 16 34 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 11,300 sq km
land: 10,000 sq km
water: 1,300 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Delaware
Land boundaries: total: 740 km
border countries: Senegal 740 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 18 NM
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry
season (November to May)
Terrain: flood plain of the Gambia river flanked by some low hills
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 53 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 45% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 150 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30
years)
Environment - current issues: deforestation; desertification;
water-borne diseases prevalent
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on
the continent of Africa
Gambia, The People
Population: 1,411,205 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45.22% (male 320,458; female 317,647)
15-64 years: 52.13% (male 364,900; female 370,717)
65 years and over: 2.65% (male 19,660; female 17,823) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.14% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 41.76 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 77.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.59 years
male: 51.65 years
female: 55.58 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.68 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.95% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,400 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Gambian(s)
adjective: Gambian
Ethnic groups: African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola
10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1%
Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other
indigenous vernaculars
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 47.5%
male: 58.4%
female: 37.1% (2001 est.)
Gambia, The Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia
Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital: Banjul
Administrative divisions: 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Lower
River, Central River, North Bank, Upper River, Western
Independence: 18 February 1965 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 February (1965)
Constitution: 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and
approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished in
January 1997
Legal system: based on a composite of English common law, Koranic
law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH
(since 18 October 1996); Vice President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20
March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18
October 1996); Vice President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20 March
1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the president
elections: the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; the number of terms is not restricted; election last held 26
September 1996 (next to be held NA October 2001)
election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH elected president; percent
of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 55.8%, Ousainou DARBOE 35.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (49 seats; 45
elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the president; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last popular election held 2 January 1997 (next to be
held NA January 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
APRC 33, UDP 7, NRP 2, PDOIS 1, independents 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation
and Construction or APRC [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; National
Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic
Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA];
United Democratic Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE]
note: in August 1996 the government banned the following from
participation in the elections of 1996: People's Progressive Party
or PPP [former President Dawda K. JAWARA (in exile)], and two
opposition parties - the National Convention Party or NCP [former
Vice President Sheriff DIBBA] and the Gambian People's Party or GPP
[Hassan Musa CAMARA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John P. BOJANG
chancery: Suite 1000, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1399
FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
George W. B. HALEY
embassy: Fajara, Kairaba Avenue, Banjul
mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul
telephone: [220] 392856, 392858, 391970, 391971
FAX: [220] 392475
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue
with white edges, and green
Gambia, The Economy
Economy - overview: The Gambia has no important mineral or other
natural resources and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of
the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood.
Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of
peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a
major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed
preshipment inspection plan, instability of the Gambian dalasi, and
the stable political situation in Senegal have drawn some of the
reexport trade away from Banjul. The government's 1998 seizure of
the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of
Gambian groundnuts; the following two marketing seasons have seen
significantly lower prices and sales. A decline in tourism from 1999
to 2000 has also held back growth. Unemployment and underemployment
rates are extremely high. Shortrun economic progress remains highly
dependent on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on
responsible government economic management as forwarded by IMF
technical help and advice, and on expected growth in the
construction sector.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.5 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21%
industry: 12%
services: 67% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 400,000
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry, commerce,
and services 19%, government 6%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $90.5 million
expenditures: $80.9 million, including capital expenditures of $4.1
million (2001 est.)
Industries: processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages;
agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 75 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 69.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, corn,
sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats;
forest and fishery resources not fully exploited
Exports: $125.8 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton
lint, palm kernels
Exports - partners: Benelux 59%, Japan 20%, UK 7%, Spain 2% (1999)
Imports: $202.5 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and
transport equipment
Imports - partners: China (including Hong Kong) 49%, UK 15%,
Netherlands 11.6%, Brazil 10%, Senegal 10% (1997)
Debt - external: $440 million (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $45.4 million (1995)
Currency: dalasi (GMD)
Currency code: GMD
Exchange rates: dalasi per US dollar - 15.000 (January 2001), 12.729
(3d quarter 1999), 11.395 (1999), 10.643 (1998), 10.200 (1997),
9.789 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Gambia, The Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 31,900 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 5,624 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate; a packet switched
data network is available
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open wire
international: microwave radio relay links to Senegal and
Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2000)
Radios: 196,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (government-owned) (1997)
Televisions: 5,000 (2000)
Internet country code: .gm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2001)
Internet users: 5,000 (2001)
Gambia, The Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,700 km
paved: 956 km
unpaved: 1,744 km (1996)
Waterways: 400 km
Ports and harbors: Banjul
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Gambia, The Military
Military branches: Army (includes marine unit), National Police,
Presidential Guard
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 316,873 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
159,764 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.6 million (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY96/97)
Gambia, The Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip Introduction
Background: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13
September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding
five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain
powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which
includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January
1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for
the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4
May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and
in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28
September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997
Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23
October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm
el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain
responsibility during the transitional period for external security
and for internal security and public order of settlements and
Israeli citizens. Permanent status is to be determined through
direct negotiations, which resumed in September 1999 after a
three-year hiatus. An intifadah broke out in September 2000; the
resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
Israel's military response, and instability in the Palestinian
Authority are undermining progress toward a permanent settlement.
Gaza Strip Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 360 sq km
land: 360 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: total: 62 km
border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be
determined through further negotiation
Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m
Natural resources: arable land, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 39%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 120 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts
Environment - current issues: desertification; salination of fresh
water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation
Geography - note: there are 25 Israeli settlements and civilian land
use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 2000 est.)
Gaza Strip People
Population: 1,178,119 (July 2001 est.)
note: in addition, there are some 6,900 Israeli settlers in the
Gaza Strip (August 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 49.89% (male 301,288; female 286,481)
15-64 years: 47.32% (male 283,274; female 274,189)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 14,121; female 18,766) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.01% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 42.48 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.01 years
male: 69.76 years
female: 72.32 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.42 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: NA
adjective: NA
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%
Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%,
Jewish 0.6%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Gaza Strip Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gaza Strip
local long form: none
local short form: Qita Ghazzah
Gaza Strip Economy
Economy - overview: Economic output in the Gaza Strip - which comes
under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority since the
Cairo Agreement of May 1994 - declined perhaps one-third between
1992 and 1996. The downturn was largely the result of Israeli
closure policies - the imposition of generalized border closures in
response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted
previously established labor and commodity market relationships
between Israel and the WBGS (West Bank and Gaza Strip). The most
serious negative social effect of this downturn was the emergence of
high unemployment; unemployment in the WBGS during the 1980s was
generally under 5%; by 1995 it had risen to over 20%. Since 1997
Israel's use of comprehensive closures has decreased and, in 1998,
Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and
other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and
labor. These changes fueled an almost three-year long economic
recovery in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; real GDP grew by 5% in
1998 and 6% in 1999. Recovery was upended in the last quarter of
2000 with the outbreak of Palestinian violence, which triggered
tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and a severe
disruption of trade and labor movements.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.11 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -7.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9%
industry: 28%
services: 63% (1999 est., includes West Bank)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (includes West Bank) (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture
13% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 40% (includes West Bank) (yearend 2000)
Budget: revenues: $1.6 billion
expenditures: $1.73 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
note: includes West Bank (1999 est.)
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles,
soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the
Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an
industrial center
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by
Israel
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel
Agriculture - products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy
products
Exports: $682 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.) (includes West Bank)
Exports - commodities: citrus, flowers
Exports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Imports: $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1998 est.) (includes West Bank)
Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Debt - external: $108 million (1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
Economic aid - recipient: $121 million disbursed (2000) (includes
West Bank)
Currency: new Israeli shekel (ILS)
Currency code: ILS
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.0810 (December
2000), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997),
3.1917 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Gaza Strip Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 95,729 (total for Gaza Strip and
West Bank) (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open wire
system
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (operated by the Palestinian
Broadcasting Corporation) (1997)
Televisions: NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions
(1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (1999)
Internet users: 23,520 (1999) (includes West Bank)
Gaza Strip Transportation
Railways: total: NA km; note - one line, abandoned and in
disrepair, little trackage remains
Highways: total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small, poorly developed road network
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Gaza
Airports: 2
note: includes Gaza International Airport that opened on 24
November 1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the September 1995
Oslo II Accord and the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum (2000
est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Gaza Strip Military
Military branches: NA
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Gaza Strip Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are
Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be
determined through further negotiation
======================================================================
@Georgia
Georgia Introduction
Background: Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th
century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the
Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until
the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Russian troops remain garrisoned
at four military bases and as peacekeepers in the separatist regions
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (but are scheduled to withdraw from
two of the bases by July 2001). Despite a badly degraded
transportation network - brought on by ethnic conflict, criminal
activities, and fuel shortages - the country continues to move
toward a market economy and greater integration with Western
institutions.
Georgia Geography
Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey
and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 43 30 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 69,700 sq km
land: 69,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: total: 1,461 km
border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,
Turkey 252 km
Coastline: 310 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
Terrain: largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the
north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi
(Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River
Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains,
foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Mt'a Mqinvartsveri (Gora Kazbek) 5,048 m
Natural resources: forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron
ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils
allow for important tea and citrus growth
Land use: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 28% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes
Environment - current issues: air pollution, particularly in
Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea;
inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic
chemicals
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Georgia People
Population: 4,989,285 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.59% (male 498,575; female 478,663)
15-64 years: 67.91% (male 1,632,338; female 1,755,910)
65 years and over: 12.5% (male 241,824; female 381,975) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.59% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.58 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 52.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.57 years
male: 61.04 years
female: 68.28 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Georgian(s)
adjective: Georgian
Ethnic groups: Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri
5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%
Religions: Georgian Orthodox 65%, Muslim 11%, Russian Orthodox 10%,
Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%
Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri
6%, other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 100%
female: 98% (1989 est.)
Georgia Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Georgia
local long form: none
local short form: Sak'art'velo
former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: T'bilisi
Administrative divisions: 53 rayons (raionebi, singular - raioni), 9
cities* (k'alak'ebi, singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous
republics** (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika);
Abashis, Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika**
(Sokhumi), Adigenis, Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika**
(Bat'umi), Akhalgoris, Akhalk'alak'is, Akhalts'ikhis, Akhmetis,
Ambrolauris, Aspindzis, Baghdat'is, Bolnisis, Borjomis, Chiat'ura*,
Ch'khorotsqus, Ch'okhatauris, Dedop'listsqaros, Dmanisis, Dushet'is,
Gardabanis, Gori*, Goris, Gurjaanis, Javis, K'arelis, Kaspis,
Kharagaulis, Khashuris, Khobis, Khonis, K'ut'aisi*, Lagodekhis,
Lanch'khut'is, Lentekhis, Marneulis, Martvilis, Mestiis,
Mts'khet'is, Ninotsmindis, Onis, Ozurget'is, P'ot'i*, Qazbegis,
Qvarlis, Rust'avi*, Sach'kheris, Sagarejos, Samtrediis, Senakis,
Sighnaghis, T'bilisi*, T'elavis, T'erjolis, T'et'ritsqaros,
T'ianet'is, Tqibuli*, Ts'ageris, Tsalenjikhis, Tsalkis, Tsqaltubo*,
Vanis, Zestap'onis, Zugdidi*, Zugdidis
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May
1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is
the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution: adopted 17 October 1995
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich
SHEVARDNADZE (previously elected chairman of the Government Council
10 March 1992; Council has since been disbanded; previously elected
chairman of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November
1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE
(previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March
1992; Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairman
of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: Eduard SHEVARDNADZE reelected president; percent
of vote - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 80%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to
as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be
held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - CUG 41.85%, AGUR
25.65%, IWSG 7.8%, all other parties received less than 7% each;
seats by party - CUG 130, AGUR 58, IWSG 15, Abkhaz deputies 12,
independents 17, other 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme
Council on the president's recommendation); Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Citizen's Union of Georgia or CUG
[Eduard SHEVARDNADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG
[Panteleimon GIORGADZE, chairman]; Industry Will Save Georgia or
IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Irina
SARISHVILI-CHANTURIA]; Socialist Party or SPG [Temur GAMTSEMLIDZE];
Union for "Revival" Party or AGUR [Alsan ABASHIDZE]; United
Republican Party or URP [Nodar NATADZE, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Georgian refugees from
Abkhazia (Abkhaz faction in Georgian Parliament); separatist
elements in the breakaway region of Abkhazia; supporters of the late
ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA remain a source of opposition
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, OPCW, OSCE,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Tedo JAPARIDZE
chancery: Suite 300, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20009
telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390
FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kenneth S. YALOWITZ
embassy: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [995] (32) 989-967/68
FAX: [995] (32) 933-759
Flag description: maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist
side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white
below
Georgia Economy
Economy - overview: Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved
around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and
grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small
industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and
textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs,
including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable internal
energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe damage the economy
has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF
and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 1995,
increasing GDP growth and slashing inflation. The Georgian economy
continues to experience large budget deficits due to a failure to
collect tax revenues. Georgia also still suffers from energy
shortages; it privatized the distribution network in 1998, and
deliveries are steadily improving. The country is pinning its hopes
for long-term recovery on the development of an international
transportation corridor through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i
and Bat'umi. The growing trade deficit, continuing problems with tax
evasion and corruption, and political uncertainties cloud the
short-term economic picture.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $22.8 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32%
industry: 23%
services: 45% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 60% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3.08 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 20%, agriculture 40%, services
40% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14.9% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $437 million
expenditures: $626 million, including capital expenditures of $60
million (1999)
Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, electric locomotives,
trucks, tractors, textiles, shoes, chemicals, wood products, wine
Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.975 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 20.38%
hydro: 79.62%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 7.117 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 850 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 550 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tea, vegetables, potatoes;
livestock
Exports: $372 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural
products; diverse types of machinery and metals; chemicals; fuel
reexports; textiles
Exports - partners: Russia 19%, Turkey 16%, Azerbaijan 8%, Armenia
6% (1999)
Imports: $898 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and
parts, transport equipment
Imports - partners: EU 22%, Russia 19%, Turkey 12%, US 12% (1999)
Debt - external: $1.9 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $212.7 million (1995)
Currency: lari (GEL)
Currency code: GEL
Exchange rates: lari per US dollar - 1.9798 (December 2000), 1.9762
(2000), 2.0245 (1999), 1.3898 (1998), 1.2975 (1997), 1.2628 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Georgia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 620,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 30,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone
networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural
telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities
include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi;
nationwide pager service is available
international: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line
between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is
available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow
switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 3.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 2.57 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ge
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Georgia Transportation
Railways: total: 1,583 km in common carrier service; does not
include industrial lines
broad gauge: 1,583 km 1.520-m gauge (1993)
Highways: total: 33,900 km
paved: 29,500 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and
include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are
surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them
trafficable in all weather)
unpaved: 4,400 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and
are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas
440 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi
Merchant marine: total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
131,316 GRT/190,289 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 2,
petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 31 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 15
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)
Transportation - note: transportation network is in poor condition
resulting from ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel
shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair
Georgia Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense
Forces, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,296,199 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,024,574 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 41,561
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $23 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.59% (FY00)
Military - note: a CIS peacekeeping force consisting of Russian
troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a
UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is
deployed in South Ossetia
Georgia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy,
mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for
opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia
======================================================================
@Germany
Germany Introduction
Background: As Western Europe's richest and most populous nation,
Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political,
and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the
country in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th
century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied
powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the
advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the
western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German
Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key
Western economic and security organizations, the EC and NATO, while
the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw
Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed
for German unification in 1990. Since then Germany has expended
considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to
western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU
countries formed a common European currency, the euro.
Germany Geography
Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North
Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 357,021 sq km
land: 349,223 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 3,618 km
border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic
646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 135 km, Netherlands
577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline: 2,389 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and
summers; occasional warm foehn wind
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Freepsum Lake -2 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium,
copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land
Land use: arable land: 33%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 20% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment - current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities
and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting
from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the
Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in
eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government currently
attempting to define mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power;
government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature
preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat
directive
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location on North European Plain and
along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
Germany People
Population: 83,029,536 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.57% (male 6,635,328; female 6,289,994)
15-64 years: 67.82% (male 28,619,237; female 27,691,698)
65 years and over: 16.61% (male 5,336,664; female 8,456,615) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.27% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.61 years
male: 74.47 years
female: 80.92 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.38 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 37,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up
largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)
Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%,
unaffiliated or other 26.3%
Languages: German
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1977 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Germany Government
Country name: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Berlin
Administrative divisions: 16 states (Laender, singular - Land);
Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg,
Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt,
Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen
Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided
into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in
1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or
West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US,
and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany)
proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone;
unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October
1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991
National holiday: Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution
of the united German people 3 October 1990
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Johannes RAU (since 1
July 1999)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by
the president on the recommendation of the chancellor
elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal
Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an
equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election
last held 23 May 1999 (next to be held 23 May 2004); chancellor
elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a
four-year term; election last held 27 September 1998 (next to be
held in the fall of 2002)
election results: Johannes RAU elected president; percent of
Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected
chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly - 52.7%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of
the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 669 for
the 1998 term; elected by popular vote under a system combining
direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the
national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation;
members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat
(69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each
has 3 to 6 votes depending on population and are required to vote as
a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 27 September 1998 (next to
be held by the fall of 2002); note - there are no elections for the
Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the
state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the
potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - SPD
40.9%, Alliance '90/Greens 6.7%, CDU/CSU 35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%;
seats by party - SPD 298, Alliance '90/Greens 47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP
43, PDS 36; Federal Council - current composition - votes by party -
SPD-led states 26, CDU-led states 28, grand coalitions 15
Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court or
Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the
Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Political parties and leaders: Alliance '90/Greens [Renate KUENAST
and Fritz KUHN]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL];
Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free
Democratic Party or FDP [Wolfgang GERHARDT, chairman]; note -
Wolfgang GERHARDT will probably be replaced by Guido WESTERWELLE in
May 2001; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Gabi ZIMMER]; Social
Democratic Party or SPD [Gerhard SCHROEDER, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: employers' organizations;
expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC,
NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG,
UPU, WADB (nonregional), WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Juergen CHROBOG
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-8141
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
consulate(s): Wellington (America Samoa)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John C. KORNBLUM (was due to resign on 20 January 2001)
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (30) 238-5174
FAX: [49] (30) 238-6290
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg,
Leipzig, Munich
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red,
and gold
Germany Economy
Economy - overview: Germany possesses the world's third most
technologically powerful economy after the US and Japan, but
structural market rigidities - including the substantial non-wage
costs of hiring new workers - have made unemployment a long-term,
not just a cyclical, problem. Germany's aging population, combined
with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a
level exceeding contributions from workers. The modernization and
integration of the eastern German economy remains a costly long-term
problem, with annual transfers from western Germany amounting to
roughly $70 billion. Growth picked up to 3% in 2000, largely due to
recovering global demand; newly passed business and income tax cuts
are expected to keep growth strong in 2001. Corporate restructuring
and growing capital markets are transforming the German economy to
meet the challenges of European economic integration and
globalization in general.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.936 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.2%
industry: 30.4%
services: 68.4% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 40.5 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%,
services 63.8% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 9.9% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $996 billion
expenditures: $1.036 trillion, including capital expenditures of
$NA (1999 est.)
Industries: among the world's largest and most technologically
advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals,
machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages;
shipbuilding; textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 4.7% (2000)
Electricity - production: 531.377 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 63.29%
hydro: 3.59%
nuclear: 30.3%
other: 2.82% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 495.181 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 39.5 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 40.5 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit,
cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Exports: $578 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and
manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners: EU 55.3% (France 11.3%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.3%,
Netherlands 6.3%, Belgium/Luxembourg 5.1%), US 10.1%, Japan 2.0%
(1999)
Imports: $505 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs,
textiles, metals
Imports - partners: EU 52.2% (France 10.5%, Netherlands 7.6%, Italy
7.4%, UK 6.9%, Belgium/Luxembourg 5.6%), US 8.1%, Japan 4.9% (1999)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
Currency: deutsche mark (DEM); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Germany
at a fixed rate of 1.95583 deutsche marks per euro and will replace
the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: DEM; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69 (January
1999), 1.7597 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Germany Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 45.2 million (1997)
note: 46.5 million main lines were installed by yearend 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular: 15.318 million (April 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: Germany has one of the
world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as
a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the
formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country has been
modernized and integrated with that of the western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic
telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic
cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic
satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available and
includes roaming service to many foreign countries
international: satellite earth stations - 14 Intelsat (12 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean
region), 2 Intersputnik (1 Atlantic Ocean region and 1 Indian Ocean
region); 7 submarine cable connections; 2 HF radiotelephone
communication centers; tropospheric scatter links
Radio broadcast stations: AM 51, FM 767, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 77.8 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 51.4 million (1998)
Internet country code: .de
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 123 (2000)
Internet users: 18 million (2000)
Germany Transportation
Railways: total: 40,826 km including at least 14,253 km electrified
and 14,768 km double- or multiple-tracked (1998)
note: since privatization in 1994, Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG) no
longer publishes details of the tracks it owns; in addition to the
DBAG system there are 102 privately owned railway companies which
own an approximate 3,000 km to 4,000 km of the total tracks
Highways: total: 656,140 km
paved: 650,891 km (including 11,400 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,249 km (all-weather) (1998 est.)
Waterways: 7,500 km
note: major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an
important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea (1999)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,500 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven,
Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel,
Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Merchant marine: total: 457 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
6,414,724 GRT/7,952,776 DWT
ships by type: cargo 169, chemical tanker 10, combination ore/oil
1, container 243, liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 7,
railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 12,
short-sea passenger 7 (2000 est.)
Airports: 613 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 322
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 55
1,524 to 2,437 m: 67
914 to 1,523 m: 63
under 914 m: 124 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 291
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 53
under 914 m: 225 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 59 (2000 est.)
Germany Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), Air Force,
Medical Corps, Border Police, Coast Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 20,851,022 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
17,760,412 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 482,318
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $32.8 billion (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY98)
Germany Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of
Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and
European-produced synthetic drugs
======================================================================
@Ghana
Ghana Introduction
Background: Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold
Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the
first country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long
series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in
1981 and the banning of political parties. A new constitution,
restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry
RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in
1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a
third term in 2000. He was succeeded by John KUFUOR.
Ghana Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote
d'Ivoire and Togo
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 238,540 sq km
land: 230,020 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 2,093 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo
877 km
Coastline: 539 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast;
hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central
area
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite,
manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 24% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts
Environment - current issues: recent drought in north severely
affecting agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife
populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake;
northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
Ghana People
Population: 19,894,014
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.18% (male 4,123,317; female 4,068,786)
15-64 years: 55.35% (male 5,455,577; female 5,555,278)
65 years and over: 3.47% (male 328,809; female 362,247) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.79% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 28.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.26 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 56.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 57.24 years
male: 55.86 years
female: 58.66 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.6% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 340,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 33,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian
Ethnic groups: black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%,
Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other
8%
Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan,
Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.5%
male: 75.9%
female: 53.5% (1995 est.)
Ghana Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast
Government type: constitutional democracy
Capital: Accra
Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central,
Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta,
Western
Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
Constitution: new constitution approved 28 April 1992
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR
(since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7
January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January
2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject
to approval by Parliament
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 and 28
December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004)
election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR elected president in runoff;
percent of vote - John KUFUOR 56.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.6%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (200 seats; members are
elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2000 (next to be held NA December
2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NPP 100, NDC 92, PNC 3, CPP 1, independents 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or
EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA, chairman]; National Convention Party or NCP
[Sarpong KUMA-KUMA]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu
YAHAYA, general secretary]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel
Arthur ODOI-SYKES]; People's Convention Party or PCP [P. K.
DONKOH-AYIFI, acting chairman]; People's Heritage Party or PHP
[Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE]; People's National Convention or PNC
[Edward MAHAMA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC,
ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kobena KOOMSON
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520
FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kathryn D. ROBINSON
embassy: Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra
mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
telephone: [233] (21) 775348
FAX: [233] (21) 776008
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow,
and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the
yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia;
similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in
the yellow band
Ghana Economy
Economy - overview: Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has
twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa.
Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial
and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are
major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to
revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 36% of
GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. In
1995-97, Ghana made mixed progress under a three-year structural
adjustment program in cooperation with the IMF. On the minus side,
public sector wage increases and regional peacekeeping commitments
have led to continued inflationary deficit financing, depreciation
of the cedi, and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity
measures. Political uncertainty and a depressed cocoa market led to
disappointing growth in 2000. A rebound in the cocoa market should
push growth over 4% in 2001-02.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $37.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 36%
industry: 25%
services: 39% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 31.4% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.6%
highest 10%: 26.1% (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 9 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services
25% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.39 billion
expenditures: $1.47 billion, including capital expenditures of $370
million (1996 est.)
Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum
smelting, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1996 est.)
Electricity - production: 5.466 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 26.82%
hydro: 73.18%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 5.573 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 400 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 890 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca),
peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum,
manganese ore, diamonds
Exports - partners: Togo, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, US,
France (1998)
Imports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: UK, Nigeria, US, Germany, Italy, Spain (1998)
Debt - external: $7 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $477.3 million (1995)
Currency: cedi (GHC)
Currency code: GHC
Exchange rates: cedis per US dollar - 6,895.77 (January 2001),
5,321.68 (2000), 2,647.32 (1999), 2,314.15 (1998), 2,050.17 (1997),
1,637.23 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Ghana Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 200,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 30,000 (yearend 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet
accessible; many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of
services is underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has
been installed
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana
to its neighbors
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 18, shortwave 3 (1999)
Radios: 4.4 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 11 (1999)
Televisions: 1.73 million (1997)
Internet country code: .gh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Ghana Transportation
Railways: total: 953 km (undergoing major rehabilitation)
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (32 km double track) (1997 est.)
Highways: total: 39,409 km
paved: 11,653 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 27,756 km (1997)
Waterways: 1,293 km
note: Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km of perennial
navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km
of arterial and feeder waterways
Pipelines: 0 km
Ports and harbors: Takoradi, Tema
Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,484
GRT/18,583 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 4 (2000 est.)
Airports: 12 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Ghana Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force,
Palace Guard, Civil Defense
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,890,483 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,713,584 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 213,237
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $53 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.7% (FY99)
Ghana Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international
drug trade; transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and
South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US
======================================================================
@Gibraltar
Gibraltar Introduction
Background: Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great
Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison
was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a 1967 referendum,
Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to
remain a British dependency.
Gibraltar Geography
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar,
which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on
the southern coast of Spain
Geographic coordinates: 36 11 N, 5 22 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km
Coastline: 12 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers
Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: limited natural freshwater resources;
large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater
Geography - note: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that
links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
Gibraltar People
Population: 27,649 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.73% (male 2,652; female 2,528)
15-64 years: 66.33% (male 9,473; female 8,866)
65 years and over: 14.94% (male 1,733; female 2,397) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.24% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.25 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.09 years
male: 76.23 years
female: 82.1 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar
Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese
Religions: Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim
6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991)
Languages: English (used in schools and for official purposes),
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: above 80%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Gibraltar Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Gibraltar
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Commonwealth Day, second Monday of March
Constitution: 30 May 1969
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who
have been residents six months or more
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor and Commander-in-Chief David
DURIE (since 5 April 2000); note - DURIE was appointed in February
2000 but took office in April 2000
head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected
members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation
with the chief minister; note - there is also a Gibraltar Council
that advises the governor
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15
elected by popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex
officio members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%;
seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD
[Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph
John BOSSANO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Chamber of Commerce;
Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Housewives Association
International organization participation: Interpol (subbureau)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: two horizontal bands of white (top, double width)
and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white
band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red
band
Gibraltar Economy
Economy - overview: Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping
trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international
conference center. The British military presence has been sharply
reduced and now contributes about 11% to the local economy. The
financial sector accounts for 20% of GDP; tourism (almost 6 million
visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer
goods also generate revenue. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen
major structural change from a public to a private sector economy,
but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the
level of employment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $500 million (1997 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,500 (1997 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1998)
Labor force: 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers)
Labor force - by occupation: services 60%, industry 40%, agriculture
NEGL%
Unemployment rate: 13.5% (1996)
Budget: revenues: $307 million
expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY00/01 est.)
Industries: tourism, banking and finance, ship-building and
repairing; support to large UK naval and air bases; tobacco, mineral
water, beer, canned fish
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 95 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 88.4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: none
Exports: $81.1 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: (principally reexports) petroleum 51%,
manufactured goods 41%, other 8%
Exports - partners: UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, US,
Germany
Imports: $492 million (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities: fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs
Imports - partners: UK, Spain, Japan, Netherlands
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Gibraltar pound (GIP)
Currency code: GIP
Exchange rates: Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January
2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997),
0.6403 (1996); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British
pound
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Gibraltar Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 19,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,620 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic
system and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 37,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 10,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gi
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Gibraltar Transportation
Railways: total: NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only
Highways: total: 46.25 km
paved: 46.25 km
unpaved: 0 km (2001)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: 0 km
Ports and harbors: Gibraltar
Merchant marine: total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
669,056 GRT/1,003,809 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 15, chemical tanker 6, container 7,
multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 2, petroleum tanker
14, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Gibraltar Military
Military branches: British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Gibraltar Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: source of friction between Spain and the UK
======================================================================
@Glorioso Islands
Glorioso Islands Introduction
Background: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are
composed of two lushly vegetated islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du
Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather
and radio station on Ile Glorieuse.
Glorioso Islands Geography
Location: Southern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean,
northwest of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 11 30 S, 47 20 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Glorieuse, Ile du Lys, Verte Rocks, Wreck Rock,
and South Rock
Area - comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 35.2 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: low and flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 12 m
Natural resources: guano, coconuts
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all lush vegetation and coconut palms)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: periodic cyclones
Environment - current issues: NA
Glorioso Islands People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a small French military garrison (July 2001 est.)
Glorioso Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Glorioso Islands
local long form: none
local short form: Iles Glorieuses
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high
commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (possession of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (possession of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Glorioso Islands Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Glorioso Islands Communications
Communications - note: 1 meteorological station
Glorioso Islands Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Glorioso Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Glorioso Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar
======================================================================
@Greece
Greece Introduction
Background: Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire
in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first
half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and
territories with Greek-speaking populations. Following the defeat of
communist rebels in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military
dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and
forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. Democratic
elections in 1974 and a referendum created a parliamentary republic
and abolished the monarchy; Greece joined the European Community or
EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992).
Greece Geography
Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and
the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 22 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 131,940 sq km
land: 130,800 sq km
water: 1,140 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alabama
Land boundaries: total: 1,210 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km,
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 228 km
Coastline: 13,676 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
territorial sea: 6 NM
Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as
peninsulas or chains of islands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m
Natural resources: bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble,
hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 8%
permanent pastures: 41%
forests and woodland: 20%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 13,140 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: severe earthquakes
Environment - current issues: air pollution; water pollution
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic
Treaty, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and
southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country,
possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands
Greece People
Population: 10,623,835 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.98% (male 820,219; female 771,466)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 3,580,535; female 3,569,755)
65 years and over: 17.72% (male 834,234; female 1,047,626) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.21% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.83 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.73 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.59 years
male: 76.03 years
female: 81.32 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.33 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.16% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 8,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Greek(s)
adjective: Greek
Ethnic groups: Greek 98%, other 2%
note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in
Greece
Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 98%
female: 93% (1991 est.)
Greece Government
Country name: conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
conventional short form: Greece
local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia
local short form: Ellas or Ellada
former: Kingdom of Greece
Government type: parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by
referendum 8 December 1974
Capital: Athens
Administrative divisions: 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular -
nomos)and 1 autonomous region*; Ayion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai
Akarnania, Akhaia, Argolis, Arkadhia, Arta, Attiki, Dhodhekanisos,
Drama, Evritania, Evros, Evvoia, Florina, Fokis, Fthiotis, Grevena,
Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria, Kavala,
Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Khalkidhiki, Khania, Khios, Kikladhes, Kilkis,
Korinthia, Kozani, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Levkas,
Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethimni, Rodhopi,
Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi,
Zakinthos
Independence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 March (1821)
Constitution: 11 June 1975; amended March 1986
Legal system: based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into
civil, criminal, and administrative courts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Konstandinos (Kostis)
STEPHANOPOULOS (since 10 March 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos SIMITIS (since 19
January 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation
of the prime minister
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term;
election last held 8 February 2000 (next to be held by NA March
2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Konstandinos STEPHANOPOULOS reelected president;
percent of Parliament vote - 90%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: elections last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held by NA
April 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - PASOK 43.8%, ND 42.7%,
KKE 5.5%, Coalition of the Left and Progress 3.2%; seats by party -
PASOK 158, ND 125, KKE 11, Coalition of the Left and Progress 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal;
all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation
with a judicial council
Political parties and leaders: Coalition of the Left and Progress
(Synaspismos) [Nikolaos KONSTANDOPOULOS]; Communist Party of Greece
or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or ND (conservative)
[Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK
[Konstandinos SIMITIS]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
BSEC, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO,
NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Alexandros PHILON
chancery: 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5800
FAX: [1] (202) 939-5824
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and
San Francisco
consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
R. Nicholas BURNS
embassy: 91 Vasilissis Sophias Boulevard, 10160 Athens
mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108
telephone: [30] (1) 721-2951
FAX: [30] (1) 645-6282
consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki
Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating
with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner
bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the
established religion of the country
Greece Economy
Economy - overview: Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the
public sector accounting for about half of GDP. Tourism is a key
industry, providing a large portion of GDP and foreign exchange
earnings. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 4%
of GDP. The economy has improved steadily over the last few years,
as the government has tightened policy in the run-up to Greece's
entry into the EU's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) on 1 January
2001. In particular, Greece has cut its budget deficit to below 1%
of GDP and tightened monetary policy, with the result that inflation
fell from 20% in 1990 to 3.1% in 2000. Major challenges remaining
include the reduction of unemployment and further restructuring of
the economy, including the privatization of some leading state
enterprises. Growth, 3.8% in 2000, may fall off to 3%-3.5% in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $181.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.3%
industry: 27.3%
services: 64.4% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25.3% (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.32 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 21%, agriculture 20%, services
59% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11.3% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $45 billion
expenditures: $47.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles;
chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 46.432 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.6%
hydro: 9.72%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.68% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 43.343 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 1.65 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 1.811 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives,
tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products
Exports: $15.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, food and beverages,
petroleum products
Exports - partners: EU 49% (Germany 15%, Italy 13%, UK 6%), US 6%
(1999)
Imports: $33.9 billion (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, foodstuffs, fuels,
chemicals
Imports - partners: EU 66% (Italy 15%, Germany 15%, France 9%, UK
6%) (1999)
Debt - external: $57 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $5.4 billion from EU (1997 est.)
Currency: drachma (GRD); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Greece
(which entered the European Monetary Union on 1 January 2001) at a
fixed rate of 340.750 drachmae per euro and will replace the local
currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: GRD; EUR
Exchange rates: drachmae per US dollar - 380.21 (December 2000),
365.40 (2000), 305.65 (1999), 295.53 (1998), 273.06 (1997), 240.71
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Greece Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 5.431 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 937,700 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate, modern networks
reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service
domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open wire
connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
international: tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1
Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 5.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters);
also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television
Service (1995)
Televisions: 2.54 million (1997)
Internet country code: .gr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 27 (2000)
Internet users: 1.33 million (1999)
Greece Transportation
Railways: total: 2,548 km
standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (36 km electrified; 23 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (a
rack-type railway for steep grades)
Highways: total: 117,000 km
paved: 107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,594 km (1996)
Waterways: 80 km
note: system consists of three coastal canals including the Corinth
Canal (6 km) which crosses the Isthmus of Corinth connecting the
Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shortens the sea voyage
from the Adriatic to Peiraiefs (Piraeus) by 325 km; there are also
three unconnected rivers
Pipelines: crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km
Ports and harbors: Alexandroupolis, Elefsis, Irakleion (Crete),
Kavala, Kerkyra, Chalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Peiraiefs
(Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos
Merchant marine: total: 780 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
25,564,988 GRT/44,761,916 DWT
ships by type: bulk 272, cargo 55, chemical tanker 22, combination
bulk 5, combination ore/oil 6, container 51, liquefied gas 5,
multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 14, passenger/cargo
2, petroleum tanker 255, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 20,
short-sea passenger 63, specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: South Korea 1, UK 4 (2000 est.)
Airports: 81 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 65
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 2 (2000 est.)
Greece Military
Military branches: Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force,
National Guard, Police
Military manpower - military age: 21 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,673,539 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,040,227 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 77,976
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $6.12 billion (FY99/00 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.91% (FY99/00 est.)
Greece Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: complex maritime, air, and territorial
disputes with Turkey in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey;
dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over its name
Illicit drugs: a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling
cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the
West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American
cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece
======================================================================
@Greenland
Greenland Introduction
Background: The world's largest island, about 84% ice-capped,
Greenland was granted self-government in 1978 by the Danish
parliament. The law went into effect the following year. Denmark
continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs.
Greenland Geography
Location: Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean
and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
Geographic coordinates: 72 00 N, 40 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 2,175,600 sq km
land: 2,175,600 sq km (341,700 sq km ice-free, 1,833,900 sq km
ice-covered) (est.)
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 44,087 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or
median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,
mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
Natural resources: zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold,
platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and
gas
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 99% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of
the island
Environment - current issues: protection of the arctic environment;
preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling
and seal hunting
Geography - note: dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North
America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements
along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the
capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap
Greenland People
Population: 56,352 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.69% (male 7,649; female 7,392)
15-64 years: 67.87% (male 20,868; female 17,376)
65 years and over: 5.44% (male 1,385; female 1,682) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.06% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 16.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.58 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.37 years
male: 64.82 years
female: 72.01 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100 (1999)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic
Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites),
Danish and others 12% (January 2000)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran
Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
note: similar to Denmark proper
Greenland Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing
overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979
Government type: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional
monarchy
Capital: Nuuk (Godthab)
Administrative divisions: 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa
(Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland)
note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland
Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing
overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979)
note: foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but
Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating
to Greenland
National holiday: June 21 (longest day)
Constitution: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Legal system: Danish
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark
(since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Gunnar
MARTENS (since NA 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Jonathan MOTZFELDT (since 19
September 1997)
cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the Parliament
(Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties
elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed
by the monarch; prime minister is elected by Parliament (usually the
leader of the majority party); election last held 16 February 1999
(next to be held NA February 2003)
election results: Jonathan MOTZFELDT reelected prime minister
following the 16 February 1999 elections; percent of parliamentary
vote - 57.3%
note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats;
members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 16 February 1999 (next to be held by NA
February 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.2%, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 22.1%, Atassut Party 25.2%, Candidate's League 12.3%,
independent 5.2%; seats by party - Siumut 11, Atassut 8, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 7, Candidate List 4, independent 1
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or
Folketing on 11 March 1998 (next to be held by not later than March
2002); percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.6%, Atassut 35.2%; seats
by party - Siumut 1, Atassut 1; Greenlandic representatives are
affiliated with Danish political parties (Siamut with Social
Democratic Party and Atassut with Liberal Party)
Judicial branch: High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the
Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme
Court in Copenhagen)
Political parties and leaders: Akulliit Party [Bjarne KREUTZMANN];
Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring continuing
close relations with Denmark) [Daniel SKIFTE]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or
IA (Eskimo Brotherhood, a leftist party favoring complete
independence from Denmark rather than home rule) [Josef MOTZFELDT];
Issituup (Polar Party) [Nicolai HEINRICH]; Kattusseqatigiit
(Candidate List, an independent right-of-center party with no
official platform [leader NA]; Siumut (Forward Party, a social
democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and
greater autonomy from Denmark) [Jonathan MOTZFELDT]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ICC, NC, NIB
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark)
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red
with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top
half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white
Greenland Economy
Economy - overview: The economy remains critically dependent on
exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government,
which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector,
including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays
the dominant role in the economy. Despite several interesting
hydrocarbon and minerals exploration activities, it will take
several years before production can materialize. Tourism is the only
sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited
due to a short season and high costs.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 24,500 (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $646 million
expenditures: $629 million, including capital expenditures of $85
million (1999)
Industries: fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut),
handicrafts, furs, small shipyards
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 250 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 41%
hydro: 59%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0%
note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from fossil
fuel to hydroelectric power production (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 232.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: forage crops, garden and greenhouse
vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish
Exports: $276 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 94%
Exports - partners: EU (mainly Denmark) 85%, Japan 8%, US 2% (1999)
Imports: $400 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactured goods, food, petroleum products
Imports - partners: EU (mostly Denmark), Norway, US, Canada
Debt - external: $25 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1999)
Currency: Danish krone (DKK)
Currency code: DKK
Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 7.951 (January 2001),
8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997), 5.799 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Greenland Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 25,617 (end 1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 12,676 (end 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic and
international service provided by satellite, cables and microwave
radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite
international: satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat,
2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 30,000 (1998 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 publicly-owned station, some local
low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997)
Televisions: 30,000 (1998 est.)
Internet country code: .gl
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 4,008 (1999)
Greenland Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 150 km
paved: 60 km
unpaved: 90 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Ilulissat (Jakobshavn),
Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk (Godthab), Qaqortoq
(Julianehab), Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Tasiilaq (March 2001)
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,289
GRT/1,500 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 13 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Greenland Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Denmark
Greenland Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Grenada
Grenada Introduction
Background: One of the smallest independent countries in the western
hemisphere, Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19
October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and
those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the
ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections
were reinstituted the following year.
Grenada Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic
Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 61 40 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 340 sq km
land: 340 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 121 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
Terrain: volcanic in origin with central mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m
Natural resources: timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors
Land use: arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 18%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 9%
other: 55% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season
lasts from June to November
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: the administration of the islands of the
Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
and Grenada
Grenada People
Population: 89,227 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.05% (male 16,739; female 16,318)
15-64 years: 59.03% (male 27,850; female 24,820)
65 years and over: 3.92% (male 1,592; female 1,908) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.06% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 23.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -15.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.52 years
male: 62.74 years
female: 66.31 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.54 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian
Ethnic groups: black 82% some South Asians (East Indians) and
Europeans, trace Arawak/Carib Amerindian
Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Languages: English (official), French patois
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98% (1970 est.)
Grenada Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada
Government type: constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style
parliament
Capital: Saint George's
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou
and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George,
Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick
Independence: 7 February 1974 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 February (1974)
Constitution: 19 December 1973
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS
(since 9 August 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June
1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; prime minister appointed by the governor
general from among the members of the House of Assembly
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a
13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and three by the
leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 18 January 1999 (next to be held by NA
October 2004)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NNP 14, GULP 1
Judicial branch: West Indies Associate States Supreme Court (an
associate judge resides in Grenada)
Political parties and leaders: Grenada United Labor Party or GULP
[Herbert PREUDHOMME]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [leader
vacant]; New National Party or NNP [George McGUIRE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS,
OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Denis G. ANTOINE
chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: the
ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's
mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies
telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176
FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820
Flag description: a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow
triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer
side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow,
five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three
centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk
superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic
nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's
second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars
represent the seven administrative divisions
Grenada Economy
Economy - overview: In this island economy progress in fiscal
reforms and prudent macroeconomic management have kept annual growth
steady since 1998. The increase in economic activity has been led by
construction and trade. Tourist facilities are being expanded;
tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner. Major short-term
concerns are the rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the
external account balance. Grenada shares a common central bank and a
common currency with seven other members of the Organization of
Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
GDP: purchasing power parity - $394 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.7%
industry: 15%
services: 75.3% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 42,300 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: services 62%, agriculture 24%, industry
14% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1997)
Budget: revenues: $85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million, including capital expenditures of $28
million (1997)
Industries: food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations,
tourism, construction
Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 120 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 111.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus,
avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables
Exports: $62.3 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables,
clothing, mace
Exports - partners: Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8%
(1991)
Imports: $217.5 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery,
chemicals, fuel (1989)
Imports - partners: US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1%
(1991)
Debt - external: $182.8 million (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $8.3 million (1995)
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed
rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Grenada Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 27,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 976 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: automatic, islandwide
telephone system
domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international: new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago
and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 57,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: 33,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gd
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Grenada Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,040 km
paved: 638 km
unpaved: 402 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Grenville, Saint George's
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Grenada Military
Military branches: Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Special
Service Unit), Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Grenada Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser
transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US
======================================================================
@Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe Introduction
Background: Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The
island of Saint-Martin is divided with the Netherlands (whose
southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the
Netherlands Antilles).
Guadeloupe Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, southeast
of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 16 15 N, 61 35 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 1,780 sq km
land: 1,706 sq km
water: 74 sq km
note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands,
including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade,
Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and
Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin
Area - comparative: 10 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 10.2 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 10.2 km
Coastline: 306 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high
humidity
Terrain: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains;
Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other
islands are volcanic in origin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,467 m
Natural resources: cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster
tourism
Land use: arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 29% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere is an
active volcano
Environment - current issues: NA
Guadeloupe People
Population: 431,170 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.99% (male 55,030; female 52,722)
15-64 years: 66.22% (male 141,294; female 144,232)
65 years and over: 8.79% (male 15,901; female 21,991) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.07% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 16.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 9.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.16 years
male: 74.01 years
female: 80.48 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.93 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe
Ethnic groups: black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian,
Lebanese, Chinese less than 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%,
Protestant 1%
Languages: French (official) 99%, Creole patois
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90%
male: 90%
female: 90% (1982 est.)
Guadeloupe Government
Country name: conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe
Dependency status: overseas department of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Basse-Terre
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of
France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean FEDINI
(since NA 1996)
head of government: President of the General Council Marcellin
LUBETH (since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council
Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the
General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those
councils
election results: NA
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General
(42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 22 March 1998 (next to be
held by NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next
to be held NA 2004)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - diverse left parties 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6,
diverse right parties 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council - percent of
vote by party - RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG
5.29%, diverse right parties 5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25,
PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 12, PCG 2, diverse right parties 2
note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September
2004); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS
1; Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National
Assembly; elections last held 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held
NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FGPS 2,
RPR 1, PPDG 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction
over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG
[Christian CELESTE]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri
BANGOU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Aldo BLAISE]; Socialist
Party or PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF
[Marcel ESDRAS]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Christian Movement for the
Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe
Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG;
Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI
International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of
France)
Flag description: three horizontal bands, a narrow green band (top),
a wide red band, and a narrow green band; the green bands are
separated from the red band by two narrow white stripes; a gold
five-pointed star is centered in the red band toward the hoist side;
the flag of France is used for official occasions
Guadeloupe Economy
Economy - overview: The economy depends on agriculture, tourism,
light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large
subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists
from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the
islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by
other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export
earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops
are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still
dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry
features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel
are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young.
Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.7 billion (1997 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1997 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%
industry: 17%
services: 68% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA
Labor force: 125,900 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: 27.8% (1998)
Budget: revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105
million (1996)
Industries: construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.3 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.209 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and
vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats
Exports: $140 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: bananas, sugar, rum
Exports - partners: France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1997)
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and
other consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners: France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%,
Netherlands Antilles 2% (1997)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual French
subsidies
Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Currency code: FRF; EUR
Exchange rates: Euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Guadeloupe Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 171,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and
Martinique
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 113,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (plus several low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 118,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gp
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 4,000 (2000)
Guadeloupe Transportation
Railways: total: NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation
lines
Highways: total: 2,560 km
paved: 965 km
unpaved: 1,595 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy),
Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,240
GRT/109 DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 9 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Guadeloupe Military
Military branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Guadeloupe Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Guam
Guam Introduction
Background: Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by
the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later.
The military installation on the island is one of the most
strategically important US bases in the Pacific.
Guam Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about
three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines
Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 47 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 549 sq km
land: 549 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: three times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 125.5 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by
northeast trade winds; dry season from January to June, rainy season
from July to December; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat
coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep
coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low-rising hills
in center, mountains in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m
Natural resources: fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism
(especially from Japan)
Land use: arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 11%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 45% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively
rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (especially in
August)
Environment - current issues: extirpation of native bird population
by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic species
Geography - note: largest and southernmost island in the Mariana
Islands archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific
Ocean
Guam People
Population: 157,557 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.07% (male 28,978; female 26,270)
15-64 years: 58.78% (male 48,704; female 43,902)
65 years and over: 6.15% (male 4,871; female 4,832) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.09% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 25.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.94 years
male: 75.66 years
female: 80.55 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.85 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Guamanian(s)
adjective: Guamanian
Ethnic groups: Chamorro 47%, Filipino 25%, white 10%, Chinese,
Japanese, Korean, and other 18%
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)
Languages: English, Chamorro, Japanese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1990 est.)
Guam Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Guam
conventional short form: Guam
Dependency status: organized, unincorporated territory of the US
with policy relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction
of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
Government type: NA
Capital: Hagatna (Agana)
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)
Independence: none (territory of the US)
National holiday: Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521)
Constitution: Organic Act of 1 August 1950
Legal system: modeled on US; US federal laws apply
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote
in US presidential elections
Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the
US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since
20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Carl GUTIERREZ (since 8 November 1994)
and Lieutenant Governor Madeleine BORDALLO (since 8 November 1994)
cabinet: executive departments; heads appointed by the governor
with the consent of the Guam legislature
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same
ticket for a four-year term; governor and lieutenant governor
elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms;
election last held 3 November 1998 (next to be held NA November 2002)
election results: Carl GUTIERREZ reelected governor; percent of
vote - Carl GUTIERREZ (Democrat) 53.2%, Joseph ADA (Republican) 46.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Republican Party 8, Democratic Party 7
note: Guam elects one delegate to the US House of Representatives;
election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2002); results - Robert UNDERWOOD was reelected as delegate; percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 1
Judicial branch: Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the
president); Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for
eight-year terms by the governor)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party (party of the
Governor) [leader NA]; Republican Party (controls the legislature)
[leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate),
Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US)
Flag description: territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red
border on all four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed,
vertical ellipse containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with
sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red
letters; US flag is the national flag
Guam Economy
Economy - overview: The economy depends on US military spending,
tourism, and the export of fish and handicrafts. Total US grants,
wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1 billion in
1998. Over the past 20 years, the tourist industry has grown
rapidly, creating a construction boom for new hotels and the
expansion of older ones. More than 1 million tourists visit Guam
each year. The industry has recently suffered setbacks because of
the continuing Japanese slowdown; the Japanese normally make up
almost 90% of the tourists. Most food and industrial goods are
imported. Guam faces the problem of building up the civilian
economic sector to offset the impact of military downsizing.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: 15% (1993)
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 60,000 (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: federal and territorial government 26%,
private 74% (trade 24%, other services 40%, industry 10%) (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $605.3 million
expenditures: $654.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000)
Industries: US military, tourism, construction, transshipment
services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food
processing, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 800 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 744 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork,
poultry, beef
Exports: $75.7 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: mostly transshipments of refined petroleum
products; construction materials, fish, food and beverage products
Exports - partners: US 25%
Imports: $203 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, food,
manufactured goods
Imports - partners: US 23%, Japan 19%
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: Guam receives large transfer payments from
the US Federal Treasury ($143 million in 1997) into which Guamanians
pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law
of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US Treasury,
receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal
employees stationed in Guam
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Guam Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 84,134 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 55,000 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system, integrated
with US facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800
numbers
domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service
and local access to the Internet
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific
Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific
communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the
US and Asia)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 221,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1997)
Televisions: 106,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 20 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
Guam Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 885 km
paved: 675 km
unpaved: 210 km
note: there are also 685 km of roads classified non-public,
including roads located on federal government installations
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Apra Harbor
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Guam Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Guam Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Guatemala
Guatemala Introduction
Background: Guatemala was freed of Spanish colonial rule in 1821.
During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety
of military and civilian governments as well as a 36-year guerrilla
war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally
ending the conflict, which had led to the death of more than 100,000
people and had created some 1 million refugees.
Guatemala Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between
Honduras and Belize and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
El Salvador and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 15 30 N, 90 15 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 108,890 sq km
land: 108,430 sq km
water: 460 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total: 1,687 km
border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256
km, Mexico 962 km
Coastline: 400 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling
limestone plateau (Peten)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m
Natural resources: petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle,
hydropower
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 5% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional
violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other
tropical storms
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution; Hurricane Mitch damage
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography - note: no natural harbors on west coast
Guatemala People
Population: 12,974,361 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.11% (male 2,789,189; female 2,674,747)
15-64 years: 54.25% (male 3,518,209; female 3,519,851)
65 years and over: 3.64% (male 220,640; female 251,725) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.6% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 34.61 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.79 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 45.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.51 years
male: 63.85 years
female: 69.31 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.58 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.38% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 73,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Guatemalan(s)
adjective: Guatemalan
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish or assimilated
Amerindian - in local Spanish called Ladino), approximately 55%,
Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, approximately 43%, whites
and others 2%
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Languages: Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (more than 20
Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam,
Garifuna, and Xinca)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.6%
male: 68.7%
female: 58.5% (2000 est.)
Guatemala Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala
conventional short form: Guatemala
local long form: Republica de Guatemala
local short form: Guatemala
Government type: constitutional democratic republic
Capital: Guatemala
Administrative divisions: 22 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango,
Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango,
Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu,
Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez,
Totonicapan, Zacapa
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note -
suspended 25 May 1993 by former President SERRANO; reinstated 5 June
1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the
armed forces may not vote)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Alfonso Antonio
PORTILLO Cabrera (since 14 January 2000); Vice President Juan
Francisco REYES Lopez (since 14 January 2000); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera
(since 14 January 2000); Vice President Juan Francisco REYES Lopez
(since 14 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 7 November 1999; runoff held 26 December 1999
(next to be held NA November 2003)
election results: Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera elected
president; percent of vote - Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera (FRG)
68%, Oscar BERGER Perdomo (PAN) 32%
Legislative branch: unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso
de la Republica (113 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 7 November 1999 (next to be held in
November 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
FRG 63, PAN 37, ANN 9, DCG 2, UD/LOV 1, PLP 1
note: for the 7 November 1999 election, the number of congressional
seats was increased from 80 to 113
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de
Justicia (thirteen members serve concurrent five-year terms and
elect a president of the Court each year from among their number;
the president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial
judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms);
Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad (five judges
are elected for concurrent five-year terms by Congress, each serving
one year as president of the Constitutional Court; one is elected by
Congress, one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed
by the President, one elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San
Carlos de Guatemala, and one by Colegio de Abogados)
Political parties and leaders: Authentic Integral Development or DIA
[Jorge Luis ORTEGA]; Democratic Union or UD [Jose Luis CHEA
Urruela]; Green Party or LOV [Jose ASTURIAS Rudecke]; Guatemalan
Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO Arevalo]; Guatemalan
National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Pablo MONSANTO, also known as
Jorge SOTO]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt];
New Nation Alliance or ANN [leader NA], which includes the URNG;
National Advancement Party or PAN [Leonel LOPEZ Rodas]; Progressive
Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES Molina]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Agrarian Owners Group or
UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino
Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial,
Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support
Group or GAM
International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, CCC, ECLAC,
FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ariel RIVERA Irias
chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952
FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Prudence BUSHNELL
embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City
mailing address: APO AA 34024
telephone: [502] 331-1541/55
FAX: [502] 334-8477
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist
side), white, and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the
white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the
national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE
SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain)
all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed
swords and framed by a wreath
Guatemala Economy
Economy - overview: The agricultural sector accounts for about
one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor
force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. Former
President ARZU (1996-2000) worked to implement a program of economic
liberalization and political modernization. The 1996 signing of the
peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major
obstacle to foreign investment. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused
relatively little damage to Guatemala compared to its neighbors.
Ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues,
negotiating further assistance from international donors, and
increasing the efficiency and openness of both government and
private financial operations. Despite low international prices for
Guatemala's main commodities, the economy grew by 3% in 2000 and is
forecast to grow by 4% in 2001. Guatemala, along with Honduras and
El Salvador, recently concluded a free trade agreement with Mexico
and has moved to protect international property rights. However, the
PORTILLO administration has undertaken a review of privatizations
under the previous administration, thereby creating some uncertainty
among investors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $46.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23%
industry: 20%
services: 57% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 60% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
0.6%
highest 10%: 46.6% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.2 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, industry 15%, services
35% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.5% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.2 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)
Industries: sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals,
petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (1999)
Electricity - production: 3.785 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 38.31%
hydro: 61.69%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 3.295 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 435 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 210 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans,
cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens
Exports: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and
vegetables, cardamom, meat, apparel, petroleum, electricity
Exports - partners: US 51.4%, El Salvador 8.7%, Honduras 5%, Costa
Rica 3.4%, Germany 2.7% (1998)
Imports: $4.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: fuels, machinery and transport equipment,
construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity
Imports - partners: US 42.8%, Mexico 9.9%, Japan 4.8%, El Salvador
4.3%, Venezuela 3.8% (1998)
Debt - external: $4.7 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $212 million (1995)
Currency: quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed
Currency code: GTQ; USD
Exchange rates: quetzales per US dollar - 7.8020 (January 2001),
7.7632 (2000), 7.3856 (1999), 6.3947 (1998), 6.0653 (1997), 6.0495
(1996), 5.8103 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Guatemala Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 665,061 (June 2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 663,296 (September 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: fairly modern network
centered in the city of Guatemala
domestic: NA
international: connected to Central American Microwave System;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)
Radios: 835,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 1.323 million (1997)
Internet country code: .gt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000)
Internet users: 65,000 (2000)
Guatemala Transportation
Railways: total: 884 km (102 km privately owned)
narrow gauge: 884 km 0.914-m gauge (single track)
Highways: total: 13,856 km
paved: 4,370 km (including 140 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,486 km (1998)
Waterways: 990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable
during highwater season
Pipelines: crude oil 275 km
Ports and harbors: Champerico, Puerto Barrios, Puerto Quetzal, San
Jose, Santo Tomas de Castilla
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 477 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 466
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 124
under 914 m: 332 (2000 est.)
Guatemala Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,092,050 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,018,636 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 140,358
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $120 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.6% (FY99)
Guatemala Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Guatemala periodically asserts claims to
territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both
states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto
boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala
Illicit drugs: transit country for cocaine and heroin; minor
producer of illicit opium poppy and cannabis for the international
drug trade; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area
for drugs (cocaine and heroin shipments); money laundering is
probably increasing
======================================================================
@Guernsey
Guernsey Introduction
Background: The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands
represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy,
which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the
only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.
Guernsey Geography
Location: Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest
of France
Geographic coordinates: 49 28 N, 2 35 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 194 sq km
land: 194 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other
smaller islands
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 50 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of
days are overcast
Terrain: mostly level with low hills in southwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m
Natural resources: cropland
Land use: arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port
Guernsey People
Population: 64,342 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.22% (male 5,285; female 5,151)
15-64 years: 66.67% (male 21,264; female 21,630)
65 years and over: 17.11% (male 4,546; female 6,466) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.39% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.9 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.78 years
male: 76.78 years
female: 82.88 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent
Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist,
Congregational, Methodist
Languages: English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country
districts
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Guernsey Government
Country name: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Dependency status: British crown dependency
Government type: NA
Capital: Saint Peter Port
Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency); there are
no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are 10 parishes including St. Peter Port, St.
Sampson, Vale, Castel, St. Saviour, St. Pierre du Bois, Torteval,
Forest, St. Martin, St. Andrew
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and
practice
Legal system: English law and local statute; justice is administered
by the Royal Court
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt.
Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY
(since NA)
cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly
of the States
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor
appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of
the Bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45
People's Deputies elected by popular franchise, 2 Alderney
representatives, HM Procureur (Attorney General), HM Comptroller
(Solicitor General) and HM Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar
General)
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Judicial branch: Royal Court
Political parties and leaders: none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown
dependency)
Flag description: white with the red cross of Saint George (patron
saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow
equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint
George cross
Guernsey Economy
Economy - overview: Financial services - banking, fund management,
insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny
Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture,
mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and
death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving
economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the
game under which Guernsey operates.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 10%
services: 87% (2000)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.99% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 31,322 (2000)
Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: tourism, banking
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers,
eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle
Exports: $NA
Exports - commodities: tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers,
eggplant, other vegetables
Exports - partners: UK (regarded as internal trade)
Imports: $NA
Imports - commodities: coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners: UK (regarded as internal trade)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound
Currency code: GBP
Exchange rates: Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January
2001), 0.6596 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403
(1996); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: calendar year
Guernsey Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 44,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 12,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .gg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: NA
Guernsey Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Guernsey Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Guernsey Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Guinea
Guinea Introduction
Background: Independent from France since 1958, Guinea did not hold
democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana CONTE (head of the
military government) was elected president of the civilian
government. He was reelected in 1998. Unrest in Sierra Leone has
spilled over into Guinea, threatening stability and creating a
humanitarian emergency.
Guinea Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N, 10 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 3,399 km
border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km,
Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km
Coastline: 320 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June
to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May)
with northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain: generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium,
hydropower, fish
Land use: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 59%
other: 17% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 930 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce
visibility during dry season
Environment - current issues: deforestation; inadequate supplies of
potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion;
overfishing, overpopulation in forest region
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Guinea People
Population: 7,613,870 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.12% (male 1,637,000; female 1,645,786)
15-64 years: 54.19% (male 2,015,199; female 2,110,745)
65 years and over: 2.69% (male 84,586; female 120,554) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.96% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 39.78 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 17.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: as a result of civil war in neighboring countries, Guinea is
host to almost half a million Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 129.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 45.91 years
male: 43.49 years
female: 48.42 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.39 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.54% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 55,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups: Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic
groups 10%
Religions: Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Languages: French (official), each ethnic group has its own language
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.9%
male: 49.9%
female: 21.9% (1995 est.)
Guinea Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea
local long form: Republique de Guinee
local short form: Guinee
former: French Guinea
Government type: republic
Capital: Conakry
Administrative divisions: 33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone
special)*; Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba,
Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou,
Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa,
Labe, Lelouma, Lola, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore,
Pita, Siguiri, Telimele, Tougue, Yomou
Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 2 October (1958)
Constitution: 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)
Legal system: based on French civil law system, customary law, and
decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of
military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19
December 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Lamine SIDIME (since 8 March
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected
president; election last held 14 December 1998 (next to be held NA
December 2003); the prime minister is appointed by the president
election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of
vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 56.1%, Mamadou Boye BA (UNR-PRP) 24.6%,
Alpha CONDE (RPG) 16.6%,
Legislative branch: unicameral People's National Assembly or
Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by
direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 June 1995 (next scheduled for 26 November
2000 postponed indefinitely due to border fighting with rebels from
Sierra Leone and Liberia)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PUP 71, RPG 19, PRP 9, UNR 9, UPG 2, PDG-AST 1, UNP 1, PDG-RDA 1,
other 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Guinea or PDG-AST
[Marcel CROS]; Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally
or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union
for Progress or UNP [Paul Louis FABER]; Party for Unity and Progress
or PUP [Lansana CONTE] - the governing party; Party for Renewal and
Progress or PRP [Siradiou DIALLO]; Rally for the Guinean People or
RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie
DORE, secretary-general]; Union for the New Republic or UNR [Mamadou
Boye BA]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mohamed Aly THIAM
chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420
FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Charge
d'Affaires Timberlake FOSTER
embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry
mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry
telephone: [224] 41 15 20, 41 15 21, 41 15 23
FAX: [224] 41 15 22
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side),
yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia;
similar to the flag of Rwanda, which has a large black letter R
centered in the yellow band
Guinea Economy
Economy - overview: Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and
agricultural resources, yet remains a poor underdeveloped nation.
The country possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and
is the second largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted
for about 75% of exports in 1999. Long-run improvements in
government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework
are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. The government
made encouraging progress in budget management in 1997-99, and
reform progress was praised in the World Bank/IMF October 2000
assessment. However, escalating fighting along the Sierra Leonean
and Liberian borders will cause major economic disruptions. In
addition to direct defense costs, the violence has led to a sharp
decline in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have
reduced expatriate staff, while panic buying has created food
shortages and inflation in local markets. Real GDP growth is
expected to fall to 2% in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22.3%
industry: 35.3%
services: 42.4% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 40% (1994 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.6%
highest 10%: 32% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and services
20% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $417.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
million (2000 est.)
Industries: bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light
manufacturing and agricultural processing industries
Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (1994)
Electricity - production: 750 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 46.67%
hydro: 53.33%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 697.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels,
cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats;
timber
Exports: $820 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee,
fish, agricultural products
Exports - partners: US, Benelux, Ukraine, Ireland (1999)
Imports: $634 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery,
transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: France, Belgium, US, Cote d'Ivoire (1999)
Debt - external: $3.6 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $359.2 million (1998)
Currency: Guinean franc (GNF)
Currency code: GNF
Exchange rates: Guinean francs per US dollar - 1,855.0 (October
2000), 1,572.0 (2000), 1,387.4 (1999), 1,236.8 (1998), 1,095.3
(1997), 1,004.0 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Guinea Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 20,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,868 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: poor to fair system of
open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and
new microwave radio relay system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 8, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 357,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 6 (1997)
Televisions: 85,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
Guinea Transportation
Railways: total: 1,086 km
standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 807 km 1.000-m gauge (includes 662 km in common
carrier service from Kankan to Conakry)
Highways: total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km
unpaved: 25,467 km (1996)
Waterways: 1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft)
Ports and harbors: Boke, Conakry, Kamsar
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 15 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Guinea Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard,
Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National
Police Force (Surete National)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,764,912 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
891,166 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $56 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY96)
Guinea Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: border incursions by Revolutionary United
Front combatants from Sierra Leone; civil war in that country has
engendered a massive flow of refugees to southern Guinea and Liberia
======================================================================
@Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau Introduction
Background: In 1994, 20 years after independence from Portugal, the
country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections
were held. An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in
1998, created hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The
president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999. An interim
government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader
Koumba YALLA took office following two rounds of transparent
presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy
will be complicated by a crippled economy devastated by civil war
and the military's predilection for governmental meddling.
Guinea-Bissau Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Guinea and Senegal
Geographic coordinates: 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 36,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of
Connecticut
Land boundaries: total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline: 350 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy
season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season
(December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain: mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the
country 300 m
Natural resources: fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited
deposits of petroleum
Land use: arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 38%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 17 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce
visibility during dry season; brush fires
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
overgrazing; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Guinea-Bissau People
Population: 1,315,822 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.09% (male 276,312; female 277,536)
15-64 years: 55.05% (male 344,493; female 379,889)
65 years and over: 2.86% (male 16,850; female 20,742) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.23% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 39.29 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 15.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 110.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.42 years
male: 47.12 years
female: 51.78 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.2 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.5% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 14,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,300 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Guinean (s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups: African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%,
Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 53.9%
male: 67.1%
female: 40.7% (1997 est.)
Guinea-Bissau Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau
local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau
local short form: Guine-Bissau
former: Portuguese Guinea
Government type: republic, multiparty since mid-1991
Capital: Bissau
Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao);
Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali;
note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Independence: 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by
Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Constitution: 16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26
February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Koumba YALLA (since 18
February 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Faustino IMBALI (since 20 March
2001)
cabinet: NA
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 28 November 1999 and 16 January 2000 (next to be
held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president after
consultation with party leaders in the legislature
election results: Koumba YALLA elected president; percent of vote,
second ballot - Koumba YALLA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly or
Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve a maximum of four years)
elections: last held 28 November 1999 (next to be held by NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PRS 37, RGB 27, PAIGC 25, 11 remaining seats went to 5 of the
remaining 10 parties that fielded candidates
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica
(consists of nine justices who are appointed by the president and
serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil
cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of
appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and
civil cases valued at over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are
not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000
and misdemeanor criminal cases)
Political parties and leaders: African Party for the Independence of
Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Francisco BENANTE]; Front for
the Liberation and Independence of Guinea or FLING [Francois MENDY];
Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Helder Vaz
LOPES]; Guinean Civic Forum or FCG [Antonieta Rosa GOMES];
International League for Ecological Protection or LIPE [Alhaje
Bubacar DJALO, president]; National Union for Democracy and Progress
or UNDP [Abubacer BALDE, secretary general]; Party for Democratic
Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS
[Koumba YALLA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president,
Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or
PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT (associate), ACP,
AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mario LOPES DA ROSA
chancery: Suite 519, 1511 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 347-3950
FAX: [1] (202) 347-3954
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US Embassy suspended
operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between
forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and
green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black
five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular
pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Guinea-Bissau Economy
Economy - overview: One of the 20 poorest countries in the world,
Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops
have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks
sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood
along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice
is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting
between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta
destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread
damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in
GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2000. Before the war,
trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part
of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF
sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development
of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy.
Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and
other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. However,
unexploited offshore oil reserves could provide much-needed revenue
in the long run.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7.6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $850 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 54%
industry: 15%
services: 31% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: 50% (1991 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
0.5%
highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 480,000
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 78%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 55 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 51.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew
nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Exports: $80 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cashew nuts 70%, shrimp, peanuts, palm
kernels, sawn lumber (1996)
Exports - partners: India 59%, Singapore 12%, Italy 10% (1998)
Imports: $55.2 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport
equipment, petroleum products (1996)
Imports - partners: Portugal 26%, France 8%, Senegal 8%, Netherlands
7% (1998)
Debt - external: $964 million (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $115.4 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African
States; previously the Guinea-Bissau peso (GWP) was used
Currency code: XOF; GWP
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos per US dollar - 26,373
(1996)
note: as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the CFA franc as the
national currency; since 1 January 1999, the CFA franc is pegged to
the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Guinea-Bissau Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: small system
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone, and cellular communications
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 49,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .gw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,500 (2000)
Guinea-Bissau Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 4,400 km
paved: 453 km
unpaved: 3,947 km (1996)
Waterways: several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping
Ports and harbors: Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 29 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.)
Guinea-Bissau Military
Military branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP;
includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 305,071 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
173,703 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $8 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.8% (FY96)
Guinea-Bissau Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Guyana
Guyana Introduction
Background: Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966 and
became a republic in 1970. In 1989 Guyana launched an Economic
Recovery Program, which marked a dramatic reversal from a
state-controlled, socialist economy towards a more open, free market
system. Results through the first decade have proven encouraging.
Guyana Geography
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic
Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 214,970 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho
Land boundaries: total: 2,462 km
border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Coastline: 459 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of
the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds;
two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)
Terrain: mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in
south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp,
fish
Land use: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 84%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,300 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat during rainy
seasons
Environment - current issues: water pollution from sewage and
agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Guyana People
Population: 697,181
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.19% (male 100,194; female 96,309)
15-64 years: 66.89% (male 234,976; female 231,360)
65 years and over: 4.92% (male 15,324; female 19,018) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.07% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 17.92 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 38.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.31 years
male: 60.52 years
female: 66.24 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 900 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese
Ethnic groups: East Indian 49%, black 32%, mixed 12%, Amerindian 6%,
white and Chinese 1%
Religions: Christian 50%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 8%
Languages: English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.1%
male: 98.6%
female: 97.5% (1995 est.)
Guyana Government
Country name: conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of
Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana
Government type: republic within the Commonwealth
Capital: Georgetown
Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni,
Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West
Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper
Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Independence: 26 May 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
Constitution: 6 October 1980
Legal system: based on English common law with certain admixtures of
Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since
11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of
President JAGAN
head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since NA December
1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president,
responsible to the legislature
elections: president elected by the majority party in the National
Assembly following legislative elections, which must be held at
least every five years; elections last held 19 March 2001 (next to
be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of
legislative vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (65 seats, 53
elected by popular vote, 10 elected by the ten Regional Democratic
Councils, and 2 elected by the National Congress of Local Democratic
Organs; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of
Appeal; High Court
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Guyana or AFG (includes
Guyana Labor Party or GLP and Working People's Alliance or WPA
[Rupert ROOPNARINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [leader NA]; Guyana
Labor Party or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress or PNC
[Hugh Desmond HOYTE]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Janet
JAGEN]; Rise, Organize and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United
Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; Working People's Alliance or WPA
[Rupert ROOPARNINE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Civil Liberties Action
Committee or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO;
Rise, Organize and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; Trades Union Congress
or TUC
note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well
organized
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Dr. Ali Odeen ISHMAEL
chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ronald D. GODARD
embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown
telephone: [592] (2) 54900 through 54909, 57960 through 57969
FAX: [592] (2) 58497
Flag description: green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the
hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a
narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white
border between the yellow and the green
Guyana Economy
Economy - overview: Severe drought and political turmoil contributed
to Guyana's negative growth of -1.8% for 1998 following six straight
years of growth of 5% or better. Growth came back to a positive 1.8%
in 1999 and 3% in 2000. Underlying growth factors have included
expansion in the key agricultural and mining sectors, a more
favorable atmosphere for business initiative, a more realistic
exchange rate, a moderate inflation rate, and continued support by
international organizations. President JAGDEO, the former finance
minister, is taking steps to reform the economy, including drafting
an investment code and restructuring the inefficient and
unresponsive public sector. Problems include a shortage of skilled
labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government must persist in
efforts to manage its sizable external debt and attract new
investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 34.7%
industry: 32.5%
services: 32.8% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.9% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 245,492 (1992)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 12% (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $220.1 million
expenditures: $286.4 million, including capital expenditures of
$86.6 million (1998)
Industries: bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing (shrimp),
textiles, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate: 7.1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 455 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 98.9%
hydro: 1.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 423.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef,
pork, poultry, dairy products; forest and fishery potential not
exploited
Exports: $570 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp,
molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners: US 22%, Canada 22%, UK 18%, Netherlands Antilles
11%, Jamaica (1999)
Imports: $660 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners: US 29%, Trinidad and Tobago 18%, Netherlands
Antilles 16%, UK 7%, Japan (1999)
Debt - external: $1.1 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor
Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997)
Currency: Guyanese dollar (GYD)
Currency code: GYD
Exchange rates: Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 184.1 (November
2000), 182.2 (2000), 178.0 (1999), 150.5 (1998), 142.4 (1997), 140.4
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Guyana Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 70,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,100 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system for long-distance
calling
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 420,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (one public station; two private
stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
Televisions: 46,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gy
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 3,000 (2000)
Guyana Transportation
Railways: total: 187 km (all dedicated to ore transport)
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge
Highways: total: 7,970 km
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (1996)
Waterways: 5,900 km (total length of navigable waterways)
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by
oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively
Ports and harbors: Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,929
GRT/4,507 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 51 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)
Guyana Military
Military branches: Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Ground
Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Corps), Guyana People's Militia (GPM),
Guyana National Service (GNS), Guyana Police Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 204,938 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
154,259 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7 million (FY94)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (FY94)
Guyana Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: all of the area west of the Essequibo
(river) claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New
(Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari [Koetari] rivers (all
headwaters of the Courantyne)
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics from South America
- primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis
======================================================================
@Haiti
Haiti Introduction
Background: One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere,
Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its
history. Over three decades of dictatorship followed by military
rule ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was elected
president. Most of his term was usurped by a military takeover, but
he was able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation
of a close associate to the presidency in 1996. ARISTIDE won a
second term as president in 2000, and took office early the
following year.
Haiti Geography
Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola,
between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the
Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 72 25 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 275 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 275 km
Coastline: 1,771 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade
winds
Terrain: mostly rough and mountainous
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble,
hydropower
Land use: arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 44% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and
subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding
and earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: extensive deforestation (much of the
remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as
fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican
Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the
Dominican Republic)
Haiti People
Population: 6,964,549
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.31% (male 1,421,945; female 1,385,580)
15-64 years: 55.52% (male 1,869,323; female 1,997,246)
65 years and over: 4.17% (male 140,556; female 149,899) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.4% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 31.68 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 95.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.38 years
male: 47.67 years
female: 51.17 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.4 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.17% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 210,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 23,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian
Ethnic groups: black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%,
Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)
note: roughly one-half of the population also practices Voodoo
Languages: French (official), Creole (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 45%
male: 48%
female: 42.2% (1995 est.)
Haiti Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti
local short form: Haiti
Government type: elected government
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Administrative divisions: 9 departments (departements, singular -
departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est,
Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Independence: 1 January 1804 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Constitution: approved March 1987; suspended June 1988, with most
articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed
to be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule,
October 1994
Legal system: based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE
(since 7 February 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Marie CHERESTAL (since 9
February 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president, ratified by the Congress
election results: Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE elected president; percent
of vote - Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 92%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale consists of the Senate (27 seats; members serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000,
with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; about eight
seats still disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26
November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last
held 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the
opposition; one vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next election NA
2004)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 73, OPL 1, other minor parties
and independents 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for the Liberation and
Advancement of Haiti or ALAH [Reynold GEORGES]; Assembly of
Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convergence
(opposition coalition composed of ESPACE, OPL, and MOCHRENA) [Gerard
PIERRE-CHARLES, Evans PAUL, Luc MESADIEU, Victor BENOIT]; Democratic
Consultation Group coalition or ESPACE [Evans PAUL, Victor Benoit]
composed of the following parties: National Congress of Democratic
Movements or KONAKOM, National Progressive Revolutionary Party or
PANPRA, Generation 2004, and Haiti Can; Haitian Christian Democratic
Party or PDCH [Marie-France CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic Party or
PADEM [Clark PARENT]; Lavalas Family or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE];
Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert DE RONCERAY];
Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Rene THEODORE];
Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc
BAZIN]; Movement for the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner
COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE]; National Front for Change and Democracy or
FNCD [Evans PAUL and Turneb DELPE]; New Christian Movement for a New
Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Struggling People's Organization
or OPL [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Autonomous Haitian Workers or
CATH; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers
Trade Unions or FOS; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye
Peasants Movement or MPP; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or
PROP; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, Caricom
(observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Louis Harold JOSEPH
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090
FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San
Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Brian Dean CURRAN
embassy: 5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone: [509] 222-0354, 222-0269, 222-0200, 223-4776
FAX: [509] 23-1641
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red
with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which
contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll
bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)
Haiti Economy
Economy - overview: About 80% of the population lives in abject
poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture
sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and
employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The
country has experienced little job creation since the former
President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal
economy is growing. Following legislative elections in May 2000,
fraught with irregularities, international donors - including the US
and EU - suspended almost all aid to Haiti. This destabilized the
Haitian currency, the gourde, and, combined with a 40% fuel price
hike in September, caused widespread price increases. Prices appear
to have leveled off in January 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32%
industry: 20%
services: 48% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 19% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3.6 million (1995)
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry
9%
Unemployment rate: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more
than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (1999)
Budget: revenues: $317 million
expenditures: $362 million, including capital expenditures of $84
million (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement,
tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.6% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 672 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 52.83%
hydro: 47.17%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 625 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn,
sorghum; wood
Exports: $186 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: manufactures, coffee, oils, mangoes
Exports - partners: US 89%, EU 8% (1999)
Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: food, machinery and transport equipment,
fuels, raw materials
Imports - partners: US 60%, EU 13% (1999)
Debt - external: $1 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $730.6 million (1995)
Currency: gourde (HTG)
Currency code: HTG
Exchange rates: gourdes per US dollar - 23.761 (January 2001),
22.524 (2000), 17.965 (1999), 16.505 (1998), 17.311 (1997), 15.093
(1996)
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Haiti Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 60,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995)
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic facilities barely
adequate; international facilities slightly better
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)
Radios: 415,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)
Televisions: 38,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ht
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 6,000 (2000)
Haiti Transportation
Railways: total: 40 km (single track; privately owned industrial
line) - closed in early 1990s
narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge
Highways: total: 4,160 km
paved: 1,011 km
unpaved: 3,149 km (1996)
Waterways: NEGL; less than 100 km navigable
Ports and harbors: Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Jeremie, Les
Cayes, Miragoane, Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix, Saint-Marc
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 13 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)
Haiti Military
Military branches: Haitian National Police (HNP)
note: the regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air Force have been
demobilized but still exist on paper until constitutionally abolished
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,635,253 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
888,305 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 87,049
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA; note - mainly for police
and security activities
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Haiti Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims US-administered Navassa Island
Illicit drugs: major Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en
route to the US and Europe; vulnerable to money laundering
======================================================================
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Introduction
Background: These uninhabited, barren islands were transferred from
the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and
bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Geography
Location: Southern Africa, islands in the Indian Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
Geographic coordinates: 53 06 S, 72 31 E
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area: total: 412 sq km
land: 412 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than two times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 101.9 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: antarctic
Terrain: Heard Island - bleak and mountainous, with a quiescent
volcano; McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Southern Ocean 0 m
highest point: Big Ben 2,745 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: Heard Island is dominated by a dormant volcano
called Big Ben
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: primarily used for research stations
Heard Island and McDonald Islands People
Population: uninhabited (July 2001 est.)
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and
McDonald Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories
Legal system: the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia)
Flag description: the flag of Australia is used
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Communications
Internet country code: .hm
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Holy See (Vatican City)
Holy See (Vatican City) Introduction
Background: Popes in their secular role ruled much of the Italian
peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century,
when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united
Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further
circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a
series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three
Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican
City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984,
a concordat between the Vatican and Italy modified certain of the
earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman
Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the
Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II,
interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the adjustment of
church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1
billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.
Holy See (Vatican City) Geography
Location: Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)
Geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 0.44 sq km
land: 0.44 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 3.2 km
border countries: Italy 3.2 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with
hot, dry summers (May to September)
Terrain: low hill
Elevation extremes: lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (urban area)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements: party to: none of the
selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Geography - note: urban; landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's
smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and
Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial
rights
Holy See (Vatican City) People
Population: 890 (July 2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.15% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: none
adjective: none
Ethnic groups: Italians, Swiss, other
Religions: Roman Catholic
Languages: Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Holy See (Vatican City) Government
Country name: conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the
Vatican City)
conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)
local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)
local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Government type: ecclesiastical
Capital: Vatican City
Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy)
National holiday: Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October
(1978)
Constitution: Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Executive branch: chief of state: Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16
October 1978)
head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO
(since 2 December 1990)
cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope
elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals;
election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death
of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope
election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope
Legislative branch: unicameral Pontifical Commission
Judicial branch: none; normally handled by Italy
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: none (exclusive of influence
exercised by church officers)
International organization participation: CE (observer), IAEA,
ICFTU, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO,
WToO (observer), WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Apostolic
Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele MONTALVO
chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428
FAX: [39] (06) 5758346
Flag description: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and
white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter
centered in the white band
Holy See (Vatican City) Economy
Economy - overview: This unique, noncommercial economy is supported
financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman
Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and
tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of
publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are
comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who
work in the city of Rome.
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay
workers live outside the Vatican
Budget: revenues: $209.6 million
expenditures: $198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)
Industries: printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and
staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy
Economic aid - recipient: none
Currency: Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR)
Currency code: ITL; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000),
1817.2 (1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996); note
- the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican will
start using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate
of 1,936.17 lire per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Holy See (Vatican City) Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: automatic exchange
domestic: tied into Italian system
international: uses Italian system
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1996)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .va
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 93 (Holy See and Italy) (2000)
Internet users: NA
Holy See (Vatican City) Transportation
Railways: total: 862 m; note - a spur of the Italian Railways
system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station
standard gauge: 862 m 1.435-m gauge (1999)
Highways: none; all city streets
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: none
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Holy See (Vatican City) Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal
Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide
security and protect the Pope
Holy See (Vatican City) Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Honduras
Honduras Introduction
Background: Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras
became an independent nation in 1821. After two and one-half decades
of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came
to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for
anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government
and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting against leftist
guerrillas.
Honduras Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between
Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the North Pacific Ocean,
between El Salvador and Nicaragua
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 86 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 112,090 sq km
land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total: 1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua
922 km
Coastline: 820 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Terrain: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
Natural resources: timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron
ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 740 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging
hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast
Environment - current issues: urban population expanding;
deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for
agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion
hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices
such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago
de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water) as well as
several rivers and streams with heavy metals; severe Hurricane Mitch
damage
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Honduras People
Population: 6,406,052
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.22% (male 1,381,823; female 1,322,684)
15-64 years: 54.21% (male 1,719,593; female 1,753,003)
65 years and over: 3.57% (male 108,271; female 120,678) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.43% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 31.94 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 30.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.35 years
male: 67.51 years
female: 71.28 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.15 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.92% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 63,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,200 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Honduran(s)
adjective: Honduran
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%,
Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority
Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 72.7%
male: 72.6%
female: 72.7% (1995 est.)
Honduras Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de Honduras
local short form: Honduras
Government type: democratic constitutional republic
Capital: Tegucigalpa
Administrative divisions: 18 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan,
Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca,
Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa
Barbara, Valle, Yoro
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended
1995
Legal system: rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing
influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include
abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial
system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Carlos Roberto FLORES
Facusse (since 27 January 1998); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government; First Vice President William
HANDAL (since NA); Second Vice President Gladys CABALLERO de Arevalo
(since NA); Third Vice President Hector Vidal CERRATO Hernandez
(since NA)
head of government: President Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (since
27 January 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government; First Vice President William HANDAL (since
NA); Second Vice President Gladys CABALLERO de Arevalo (since NA);
Third Vice President Hector Vidal CERRATO Hernandez (since NA)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 30 November 1997 (next to be held 25 November
2001)
election results: Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse elected president;
percent of vote - Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (PL) 50%, Nora de
MELGAR (PN) 40%, other 10%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress or Congreso
Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the
number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 30 November 1997 (next to be held 25
November 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - PL 46%, PN 38%,
PINU-SD 4%, PDC 2%, PUD 2%; seats by party - PL 67, PN 55, PINU-SD
3, PDC 2, PUD 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de
Justicia (judges are elected for four-year terms by the National
Congress)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president]; Democratic Unification Party
or PUD [Marias FUNES Valladares, president]; Liberal Party or PL
[Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse, president]; National Innovation and
Unity Party-Social Democratic Party or PINU-SD [Olban VALLADARES,
president]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Carlos URBIZO,
president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Committee for the Defense of
Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers
or CTH; Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP;
General Workers Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private
Enterprise or COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or
ANACH; National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP;
United Federation of Honduran Workers or FUTH
International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Hugo NOE PINO
chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702
FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Frank ALMAGUER
embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa
mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone: [504] 238-5114, 236-9320
FAX: [504] 236-9037
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white,
and blue with five blue five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern
centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the
former Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of
El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words
REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white
band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a
triangle encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and
AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band
Honduras Economy
Economy - overview: Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the
Western Hemisphere, is banking on expanded trade privileges under
the Enhanced Caribbean Basin Initiative and on debt relief under the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. While
reconstruction from 1998's Hurricane Mitch is at an advanced stage,
and the country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, it failed
to meet the IMF's goals to liberalize its energy and
telecommunications sectors. Economic growth has rebounded nicely
since the hurricane and should continue in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $17 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.2%
industry: 31.9%
services: 51.9% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 53% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.2%
highest 10%: 42.1% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.3 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 29%, industry 21%, services
50% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 28% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $607 million
expenditures: $411.9 million, including capital expenditures of
$106 million (1999 est.)
Industries: sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.319 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44.71%
hydro: 55.29%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 3.232 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 145 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp
Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster, meat; zinc,
lumber
Exports - partners: US 35.4%, Germany 7.5%, El Salvador 6.4%,
Guatemala 5.8%, Nicaragua 4.8% (1999)
Imports: $2.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, industrial
raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: US 47.1%, Guatemala 7.4%, El Salvador 5.9%,
Mexico 4.8%, Japan 4.7% (1999)
Debt - external: $5.4 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $557.8 million (1999)
Currency: lempira (HNL)
Currency code: HNL
Exchange rates: lempiras per US dollar - 15.1407 (December 2000),
15.1407 (2000), 14.5039 (1999), 13.8076 (1998), 13.0942 (1997),
12.8694 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Honduras Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 234,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 14,427 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate system
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Radio broadcast stations: AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)
Radios: 2.45 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 570,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .hn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Honduras Transportation
Railways: total: 595 km
narrow gauge: 349 km 1.067-m gauge; 246 km 0.914-m gauge (1999)
Highways: total: 15,400 km
paved: 3,126 km
unpaved: 12,274 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 465 km (navigable by small craft)
Ports and harbors: La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San
Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira
Merchant marine: total: 313 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
760,819 GRT/820,582 DWT
ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 187, chemical tanker 7, container 4,
livestock carrier 2, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum
tanker 52, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea
passenger 5, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Russia 4, Singapore 2, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 119 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 107
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 84 (2000 est.)
Honduras Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,515,101 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
902,220 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 72,335
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $35 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.6% (FY99)
Honduras Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: with respect to the maritime boundary in
the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the
1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that
some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and
Nicaragua likely would be required; the maritime boundary dispute
with Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea is before the ICJ
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit
producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally
for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; vulnerable to
money laundering
======================================================================
@Hong Kong
Hong Kong Introduction
Background: Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded
by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later
in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and
the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this
agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two
systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be
practiced in Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree
of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for
the next 50 years.
Hong Kong Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates: 22 15 N, 114 10 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km
water: 50 sq km
Area - comparative: six times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 30 km
border countries: China 30 km
Coastline: 733 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy
from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Terrain: hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
Natural resources: outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Land use: arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 20%
other: 72% (1997 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1997 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons
Environment - current issues: air and water pollution from rapid
urbanization
Environment - international agreements: party to: Marine Dumping
(associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)
Geography - note: more than 200 islands
Hong Kong People
Population: 7,210,505 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.73% (male 677,785; female 600,781)
15-64 years: 71.52% (male 2,554,329; female 2,602,662)
65 years and over: 10.75% (male 354,199; female 420,749) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.13 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 7.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.67 years
male: 76.97 years
female: 82.55 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.29 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.06% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups: Chinese 95%, other 5%
Religions: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Languages: Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 92.2%
male: 96%
female: 88.2% (1996 est.)
Hong Kong Government
Country name: conventional long form: Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong
local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
local short form: Xianggang
abbreviation: HK
Dependency status: special administrative region of China
Government type: NA
Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of
China)
Independence: none (special administrative region of China)
National holiday: National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the
People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is
celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment
Day
Constitution: Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National
People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent
residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven
years; indirect election limited to about 100,000 members of
functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn
from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central
government bodies
Executive branch: chief of state: President of China JIANG Zemin
(since 27 March 1993)
head of government: Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July
1997)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex-officio members and
10 appointed members; ex-officio members are: Chief Secretary Anson
CHAN (since 29 November 1993), Financial Secretary Donald TSANG
(since 7 March 1995), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1
July 1997)
elections: NA
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60
seats; 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 24
elected by popular vote, and 6 elected by an 800-member election
committee; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Democratic Party 12, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong
Kong 10, Liberal Party 7, Frontier Party 5, Hong Kong Progressive
Alliance 4, New Century Forum 2, Hong Kong Association for Democracy
and People's Livelihood 1, independents 19
Judicial branch: The Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders: Association for Democracy and
People's Livelihood [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, chairman]; Citizens
Party [leader NA]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong
Kong [Jasper TSANG Yok-sing, chairman]; Democratic Party [Martin LEE
Chu-ming, chairman]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing,
chairwoman]; Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's
Livelihood [leader NA]; Hong Kong Progressive Alliance [Ambrose LAU
Hon-chuen]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun, chairman]; New
Century Forum [NQ Ching-fai, chairman]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for
Democracy and People's Livelihood, Citizens Party, Democratic Party,
Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - Democratic Alliance for the Betterment
of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, Liberal Party, New
Century Forum
Political pressure groups and leaders: Chinese General Chamber of
Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong
Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek,
president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong
Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions (pro-China) [LEE
Chark-tim, president]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the
Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong
Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General
Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG
Man-kwong, president]; Liberal Democratic Federation [HU Fa-kuang,
chairman]
International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC,
ESCAP (associate), ICC, ICFTU, IMO (associate), Interpol
(subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO, WToO (associate),
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (special administrative
region of China)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul
General Michael KLOSSON
consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
mailing address: PSC 464, Box 30, FPO AP 96522-0002
telephone: [852] 2523-9011
FAX: [852] 2845-1598
Flag description: red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia
flower in the center
Hong Kong Economy
Economy - overview: Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy
highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are
limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Indeed,
imports and exports, including reexports, each exceed GDP in dollar
value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1
July 1997 it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Per
capita GDP compares with the level in the four big countries of
Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-97. The
widespread Asian economic difficulties in 1998 hit this
trade-dependent economy quite hard, with GDP down 5%. The economy is
undergoing a rapid recovery, with growth of 10% in 2000 to be
followed by projected growth of 5% in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $181 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 10% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $25,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 14.3%
services: 85.6% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3.39 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: wholesale and retail trade,
restaurants, and hotels 31.5%, community and social services 24%,
financing, insurance, and real estate 14.5%, transport and
communications 11.6%, manufacturing 7.7%, construction 2.6% (October
1999)
Unemployment rate: 4.5% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $20.8 billion
expenditures: $24.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY99/00)
Industries: textiles, clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics,
toys, watches, clocks
Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2000)
Electricity - production: 27.726 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 32.202 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 633 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 7.05 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fresh vegetables; poultry
Exports: $204 billion (including reexports; f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: clothing, textiles, footwear, electrical
appliances, watches and clocks, toys
Exports - partners: China 33%, US 24%, Japan 5%, UK 4%, Germany,
Singapore (1999)
Imports: $215 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw
materials, semimanufactures, petroleum; a large share is reexported
Imports - partners: China 44%, Japan 12%, US 7%, Taiwan 7%, South
Korea, Singapore (1999)
Debt - external: $48.1 billion (1999)
Currency: Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
Currency code: HKD
Exchange rates: Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7990 (January
2001), 7.7912 (2000), 7.7575 (1999), 7.7453 (1998), 7.7421 (1997),
7.7343 (1996); note - Hong Kong became a special administrative
region of China on 1 July 1997; before then, the Hong Kong dollar
was linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 Hong Kong
dollars per US dollar
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Hong Kong Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.839 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.7 million (December 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern facilities provide
excellent domestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic
network
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access
to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN
member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western
Europe
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 4.45 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 1.84 million (1997)
Internet country code: .hk
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 17 (2000)
Internet users: 1.85 million (2000)
Hong Kong Transportation
Railways: total: 34 km
standard gauge: 34 km 1.435-m gauge (all electrified) (1996 est.)
Highways: total: 1,831 km
paved: 1,831 km
unpaved: 0 km (1997)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Hong Kong
Merchant marine: total: 354 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
10,330,662 GRT/17,227,315 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 208, cargo 36, chemical tanker
7, combination bulk 2, container 59, liquefied gas 6,
multi-functional large-load carrier 2, petroleum tanker 26,
refrigerated cargo 3, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Bermuda 2, Belgium 1, Canada 2, China 9, Japan 3,
Mongolia 1, Norway 1, South Africa 1, UK 7 (2000 est.)
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 2 (2000 est.)
Hong Kong Military
Military branches: Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation
Army (PLA) including elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy,
and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of
the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative
control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,020,937 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,520,531 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 47,139
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA; note - separate budget
for Hong Kong not established by China
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of China
Hong Kong Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: a hub for Southeast Asian heroin and regional
stimulants trade; transshipment and money-laundering center;
increasing indigenous amphetamine abuse
======================================================================
@Howland Island
Howland Island Introduction
Background: Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the
island was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British
companies mined for guano until about 1890. Earhart Light is a day
beacon near the middle of the west coast that was partially
destroyed during World War II, but has since been rebuilt; it is
named in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia EARHART. The island is
administered by the US Department of the Interior as a National
Wildlife Refuge.
Howland Island Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half
of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates: 0 48 N, 176 38 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 1.6 sq km
land: 1.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about three times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 6.4 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island surrounded by
a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 3 m
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s),
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 95%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can
be a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate
vines, and low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center;
primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds,
shorebirds, and marine wildlife
Howland Island People
Population: uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and
naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during
World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by
special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and
generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually
by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2001 est.)
Howland Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Howland Island
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered
from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US
Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge
system
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Howland Island Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Howland Island Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is
one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast
Airports: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop
on the round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred NOONAN -
they left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island, but were never seen
again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable (2000 est.)
Transportation - note: Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle
of the west coast that was partially destroyed during World War II,
but has since been rebuilt; named in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia
EARHART
Howland Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard
Howland Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Hungary
Hungary Introduction
Background: Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian
Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under
communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and
announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive
military intervention by Moscow. In the more open GORBACHEV years,
Hungary led the movement to dissolve the Warsaw Pact and steadily
shifted toward multiparty democracy and a market-oriented economy.
Following the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Hungary developed close
political and economic ties to Western Europe. It joined NATO in
1999 and is a frontrunner in a future expansion of the EU.
Hungary Geography
Location: Central Europe, northwest of Romania
Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 93,030 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km
water: 690 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 2,009 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km,
Yugoslavia 151 km, Slovakia 515 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on
the Slovakian border
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Tisza River 78 m
highest point: Kekes 1,014 m
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable
land
Land use: arable land: 51%
permanent crops: 3.6%
permanent pastures: 12.4%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 14% (1999)
Irrigated land: 2,060 sq km (1993 est.)
Environment - current issues: the approximation of Hungary's
standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and
water pollution with environmental requirements for EU accession
will require large investments
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location astride main land
routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as
between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin
Hungary People
Population: 10,106,017 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.63% (male 862,468; female 818,052)
15-64 years: 68.66% (male 3,406,717; female 3,532,008)
65 years and over: 14.71% (male 546,992; female 939,780) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.32% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.32 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.63 years
male: 67.28 years
female: 76.3 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Hungarian(s)
adjective: Hungarian
Ethnic groups: Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 4%, German 2.6%, Serb 2%,
Slovak 0.8%, Romanian 0.7%
Religions: Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist
and other 7.5%
Languages: Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1980 est.)
Hungary Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary
local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag
local short form: Magyarorszag
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Budapest
Administrative divisions: 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20
urban counties* (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city**
(fovaros); Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Bekescsaba*,
Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Budapest**, Csongrad, Debrecen*, Dunaujvaros*,
Eger*, Fejer, Gyor*, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves,
Hodmezovasarhely*, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Kaposvar*, Kecskemet*,
Komarom-Esztergom, Miskolc*, Nagykanizsa*, Nograd, Nyiregyhaza*,
Pecs*, Pest, Somogy, Sopron*, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Szeged*,
Szekesfehervar*, Szolnok*, Szombathely*, Tatabanya*, Tolna, Vas,
Veszprem, Veszprem*, Zala, Zalaegerszeg*
Independence: 1001 (unification by King Stephen I)
National holiday: St. Stephen's Day, 20 August
Constitution: 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19
April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for
individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime
minister and also established the principle of parliamentary
oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system
Legal system: rule of law based on Western model
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Ferenc MADL (since NA August 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 6 July 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on
the recommendation of the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 6 June 2000 (next to be held by
June 2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the
recommendation of the president
election results: Ferenc MADL elected president; percent of
legislative vote - NA% (but by a simple majority in the third round
of voting); Viktor ORBAN elected prime minister; percent of
legislative vote - NA%
note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of
legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the
third round
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules
(386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of
proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 10 and 24 May 1998 (next to be held
May/June 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote
required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSZP
32.0%, FIDESZ 28.2%, FKGP 13.8%, SZDSZ 7.9%, MIEP 5.5%, MMP 4.1%,
MDF 2.8%, KDNP 2.3%, MDNP 1.5%; seats by party - MSZP 134, FIDESZ
148, FKGP 48, SZDSZ 24, MDF 17, MIEP 14, independent 1; note -
seating as of 2000 by party - MSZP 136, FIDESZ 141, FKGP 48, SZDSZ
24, MDF 16, MIEP 12, independents 9
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the
National Assembly for nine-year terms)
Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Free Democrats or SZDSZ
[Gabor DEMSZKY]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Gyorgy
GICZY, president]; Federation of Young Democrats-Hungarian Civic
Party or FYD-HCP [Laszlo KOVER]; note - used to be Hungarian Civic
Party or FIDESZ; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID];
Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI,
chairman]; Hungarian Justice and Life Party or MIEP [Istvan CSURKA,
chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSZP [Laszlo KOVACS,
chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER,
chairman]; Independent Smallholders or FKGP [Jozsef TORGYAN,
president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, Australia Group,
BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM
(guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Geza JESZENSZKY
chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Peter F. TUFO
embassy: Szabadsag Ter 12, H.-1054 Budapest
mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest
Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270
telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400, 475-4703 (after hours)
FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white,
and green
Hungary Economy
Economy - overview: Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic
growth and to work toward accession to the European Union. The
private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of
and investment in Hungarian firms is widespread, with cumulative
foreign direct investment totaling $23 billion by 2000. Hungarian
sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest rating
among all the Central European transition economies. Inflation - a
top economic concern in 2000 - is still high at almost 10%, pushed
upward by higher world oil and gas and domestic food prices.
Economic reform measures such as health care reform, tax reform, and
local government financing have not yet been addressed by the ORBAN
government.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $113.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 35%
services: 60% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 8.6% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.9%
highest 10%: 24.8% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.8% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 4.2 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: services 65%, industry 27%, agriculture
8% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 9.4% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $13 billion
expenditures: $14.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed
foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor
vehicles
Industrial production growth rate: 18% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 36.75 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 61.09%
hydro: 0.51%
nuclear: 38.4%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 35.234 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 2.35 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 3.406 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar
beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products
Exports: $25.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment 59.5%, other
manufactures 29.4%, food products 6.9%, raw materials 2.4%, fuels
and electricity 1.8% (2000)
Exports - partners: Germany 37%, Austria 9%, Italy 6%, Netherlands
5% (2000)
Imports: $27.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 51.1%, other
manufactures 35.9%, fuels and electricity 8.1%, food products 2.8%,
raw materials 2.1% (2000)
Imports - partners: Germany 25%, Russia 8%, Austria 7%, Italy 7%
(2000)
Debt - external: $29.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $122.7 million (1995)
Currency: forint (HUF)
Currency code: HUF
Exchange rates: forints per US dollar - 282.240 (January 2001),
282.179 (2000), 237.146 (1999), 214.402 (1998), 186.789 (1997),
152.647 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Hungary Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.095 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.269 million (July 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: the telephone system has been
modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for
telecommunication service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk
services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave
radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was
initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones
international: Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all
neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian
Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT)
system of ground terminals
Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 7.01 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters)
(1995)
Televisions: 4.42 million (1997)
Internet country code: .hu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 650,000 (2000)
Hungary Transportation
Railways: total: 7,606 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,394 km 1.435-m gauge (2,270 km electrified; 1,236
km double track)
narrow gauge: 176 km 0.760-m gauge (1998)
note: Hungary and Austria jointly manage the cross-border
standard-gauge railway connecting Gyor, Sopron, and Ebenfurt (Gysev
railroad) a distance of about 101 km in Hungary and 65 km in Austria
Highways: total: 188,203 km
paved: 81,680 km (including 448 km of expressways)
unpaved: 106,523 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 1,373 km (permanently navigable) (1997)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,204 km; natural gas 4,387 km (1991)
Ports and harbors: Budapest, Dunaujvaros
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,199
GRT/1,050 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 43 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 16
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 27
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 5 (2000 est.)
Hungary Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Air Force; note - there is a
paramilitary Border Guard which is under the Ministry of Interior
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,573,119 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,050,404 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 64,121
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $822 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (FY00)
Hungary Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Gabcikovo/Nagymaros Dam dispute with
Slovakia is before the ICJ
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin
and cannabis and transit point for South American cocaine destined
for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals,
particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine
======================================================================
@Iceland
Iceland Introduction
Background: Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish)
immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland
boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the
Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland
was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja
volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused
widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the
island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited
home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence
attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion
are first-rate by world standards.
Iceland Geography
Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK
Geographic coordinates: 65 00 N, 18 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 103,000 sq km
land: 100,250 sq km
water: 2,750 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kentucky
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 4,988 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy
winters; damp, cool summers
Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields;
coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m
Natural resources: fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 23%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 76% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: water pollution from fertilizer
runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe;
westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national
capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of
continental Europe
Iceland People
Population: 277,906 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.18% (male 33,238; female 31,191)
15-64 years: 65.01% (male 91,095; female 89,583)
65 years and over: 11.81% (male 14,681; female 18,118) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.54% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 14.62 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.89 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.52 years
male: 77.31 years
female: 81.92 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.14% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 200 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic
Ethnic groups: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 93%, other Protestant and Roman
Catholic, none (1997)
Languages: Icelandic
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.9% (1997 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Iceland Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland
local long form: Lyoveldio Island
local short form: Island
Government type: constitutional republic
Capital: Reykjavik
Administrative divisions: 23 counties (syslar, singular - sysla) and
14 independent towns* (kaupstadhir, singular - kaupstadhur);
Akranes*, Akureyri*, Arnessysla, Austur-Bardhastrandarsysla,
Austur-Hunavatnssysla, Austur-Skaftafellssysla, Borgarfjardharsysla,
Dalasysla, Eyjafjardharsysla, Gullbringusysla, Hafnarfjordhur*,
Husavik*, Isafjordhur*, Keflavik*, Kjosarsysla, Kopavogur*,
Myrasysla, Neskaupstadhur*, Nordhur-Isafjardharsysla,
Nordhur-Mulasys-la, Nordhur-Thingeyjarsysla, Olafsfjordhur*,
Rangarvallasysla, Reykjavik*, Saudharkrokur*, Seydhisfjordhur*,
Siglufjordhur*, Skagafjardharsysla, Snaefellsnes-og Hnappadalssysla,
Strandasysla, Sudhur-Mulasysla, Sudhur-Thingeyjarsysla,
Vesttmannaeyjar*, Vestur-Bardhastrandarsysla, Vestur-Hunavatnssysla,
Vestur-Isafjardharsysla, Vestur-Skaftafellssysla
note: there may be four other counties
Independence: 17 June 1944 (from Denmark)
National holiday: Independence Day, 17 June (1944)
Constitution: 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944
Legal system: civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON
(since 1 August 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister David ODDSSON (since 30 April
1991)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by
Parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 29 June 1996 (next to be held NA June 2004);
President GRIMSSON ran unopposed in June 2000 so there were no
elections; prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON elected president;
President GRIMSSON ran unopposed
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 May 1999 (next to be held by April 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party
40.7%, The Alliance (PA, People's Party, Women's List) 26.8%,
Progressive Party 18.4%, Left-Green Alliance 9.1%, Liberal Party
4.2%; seats by party - Independence Party 26, The Alliance 17,
Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 6, Liberal Party 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are
appointed for life by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Independence Party (conservative) or
IP [David ODDSSON]; Left-Green Alliance [Steinsvimur SIGFUSSON];
Liberal Party [Sverrir HERMANNSSON]; People's Party (Social
Democratic Party) or SDP [Sighvatyr BJORGIVINSSON]; Progressive
Party (liberal) or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON]; The Alliance (includes
People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SVP, People's
Movement, Women's List) [Ossur SKARPHEDINSSON]; Women's List or WL
[Kristin ASTGEIRSDOTTIR]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB,
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNU,
UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jon-Baldvin HANNIBALSSON
chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653
FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Barbara J. GRIFFITHS
embassy: Laufasvegur 21, Reykjavik
mailing address: US Embassy, PSC 1003, Box 40, FPO AE 09728-0340
telephone: [354] 5629100
FAX: [354] 5629118
Flag description: blue with a red cross outlined in white that
extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is
shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Iceland Economy
Economy - overview: Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically
capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system, low
unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the
absence of other natural resources (except for abundant hydrothermal
and geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing
industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 12% of
the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish
stocks as well as to drops in world prices for its main exports:
fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. The center-right
government plans to continue its policies of reducing the budget and
current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing
inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying
the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government
remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders'
concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's
economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service
industries in the last decade, and new developments in software
production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place.
The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in
ecotourism and whale watching. Growth has been remarkably steady
over the past five years at 4%-5%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.85 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15% (includes fishing 13%)
industry: 21%
services: 64% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 159,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5.1%, fishing and fish
processing 11.8%, manufacturing 12.9%, construction 10.7%, other
services 59.5% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 2.7% (January 2001)
Budget: revenues: $3.5 billion
expenditures: $3.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $467
million (1999)
Industries: fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon
production, geothermal power; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.069 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.07%
hydro: 84.64%
nuclear: 0%
other: 15.29% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.574 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, turnips; cattle, sheep; fish
Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 70%, animal products,
aluminum, diatomite, ferrosilicon
Exports - partners: EU 64% (UK 20%, Germany 13%, France 5%, Denmark
5%), US 15%, Japan 5% (1999)
Imports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products;
foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: EU 56% (Germany 12%, UK 9%, Denmark 8%, Sweden
6%), US 11%, Norway 10% (1999)
Debt - external: $2.6 billion (1999)
Economic aid - donor: $NA
Currency: Icelandic krona (ISK)
Currency code: ISK
Exchange rates: Icelandic kronur per US dollar - 84.810 (January
2001), 78.676 (2000), 72.335 (1999), 70.958 (1998), 70.904 (1997),
66.500 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Iceland Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 168,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 65,746 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic
cables and microwave radio relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note -
Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic
countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters),
shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 260,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 98,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .is
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (2000)
Internet users: 144,000 (2000)
Iceland Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 12,691 km
paved: 3,262 km
unpaved: 9,429 km (1999)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Akureyri, Hornafjordur, Isafjordhur, Keflavik,
Raufarhofn, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur, Straumsvik, Vestmannaeyjar
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,435
GRT/4,538 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 87 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 75
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 52 (2000 est.)
Iceland Military
Military branches: no regular armed forces; Police, Coast Guard;
note - Iceland's defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic
Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 71,241 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
62,704 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $0
Military - note: defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic
Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik
Iceland Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Rockall continental shelf dispute
involving Denmark and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a
boundary agreement in the Rockall area); dispute with Denmark over
the Faroe Islands fisheries median line boundary within 200 NM;
disputes with Denmark, the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands
continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM
======================================================================
@India
India Introduction
Background: The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the
world, goes back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the
northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier
inhabitants created classical Indian culture. Arab incursions
starting in the 8th century and Turkish in 12th were followed by
European traders beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th
century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all
Indian lands. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under
Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU led to independence in 1947.
The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the
smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two
countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate
nation of Bangladesh. Fundamental concerns in India include the
ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation,
environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic strife, all
this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.
India Geography
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of
Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N, 77 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Land boundaries: total: 14,103 km
border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463
km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline: 7,000 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Terrain: upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling
plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
Natural resources: coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron
ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas,
diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land
Land use: arable land: 56%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 16% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 535,100 sq km (1995/96 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms
common; earthquakes
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial
effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and
runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable
throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining
natural resources
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important
Indian Ocean trade routes
India People
Population: 1,029,991,145 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.12% (male 175,630,537; female
165,540,672)
15-64 years: 62.2% (male 331,790,850; female 308,902,864)
65 years and over: 4.68% (male 24,439,022; female 23,687,200) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.55% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 24.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.74 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 63.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.86 years
male: 62.22 years
female: 63.53 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.04 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3.7 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 310,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian
Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%
(2000)
Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other
groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
Languages: English enjoys associate status but is the most important
language for national, political, and commercial communication,
Hindi the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people,
Bengali (official), Telugu (official), Marathi (official), Tamil
(official), Urdu (official), Gujarati (official), Malayalam
(official), Kannada (official), Oriya (official), Punjabi
(official), Assamese (official), Kashmiri (official), Sindhi
(official), Sanskrit (official), Hindustani (a popular variant of
Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India)
note: 24 languages each spoken by a million or more persons;
numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually
unintelligible
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52%
male: 65.5%
female: 37.7% (1995 est.)
India Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India
Government type: federal republic
Capital: New Delhi
Administrative divisions: 28 states and 7 union territories*;
Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*,
Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
Constitution: 26 January 1950
Legal system: based on English common law; limited judicial review
of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Kicheril Raman
NARAYANAN (since 25 July 1997); Vice President Krishnan KANT (since
21 August 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Atal Behari VAJPAYEE (since 19
March 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of
the states for a five-year term; election last held 14 July 1997
(next to be held NA July 2002); vice president elected by both
houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 16
August 1997 (next to be held NA August 2002); prime minister elected
by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative
elections; election last held NA October 1999 (next to be held NA
October 2004)
election results: Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN elected president;
percent of electoral college vote - NA%; Krishnan KANT elected vice
president; percent of Parliament vote - NA%; Atal Behari VAJPAYEE
elected prime minister; percent of vote - NA%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the
Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than
250 members, up to 12 of which are appointed by the president, the
remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and
territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the
People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular
vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held 5 September through 3
October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party -
BJP alliance 40.8%, Congress alliance 33.8%, other 25.4%; seats by
party - BJP alliance 304, Congress alliance 134, other 107
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65)
Political parties and leaders: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha JAYARAM]; All India Forward Bloc
or AIFB [Prem Dutta PALIWAL (chairman), Chitta BASU (general
secretary)]; Asom Gana Parishad [Prafulla Kumar MAHANTA]; Bahujan
Samaj Party or BSP [Kanshi RAM]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP
[Bangaru LAXMAN, president]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen
PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan
BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML [Vinod
MISHRA]; Congress (I) Party [Sonia GANDHI, president]; Dravida
Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a regional party in Tamil Nadu) [M.
KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National League [Suliaman SAIT]; Janata Dal
(Secular) [H. D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United) or JDU [Sharad
YADAV, president, I. K. GUJRAL]; Kerala Congress (Mani faction) [K.
M. MANI]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKO];
Muslim League [G. M. BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP
[Sharad PAWAR]; National Democratic Alliance, a 16-party alliance
including BJP, DMK, Janata Dal (U), SHS, Shiromani Akali Dal, Telugu
Desam, BJD, Rinamool Congress]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo
Prasad YADAV]; Revolutionary Socialist Party or RSP [Tridip
CHOWDHURY]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV, president];
Shiromani Akali Dal [Prakash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena [Bal
THACKERAY]; Tamil Maanila Congress [G. K. MOOPANAR]; Telugu Desam
Party or TDP (a regional party in Andhra Pradesh) [Chandrababu
NAIDU]; Trinamool Congress [Mamata BANERJEE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous religious or
militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu
Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various
separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy,
including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference
International organization participation: AfDB, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Naresh CHANDRA
chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note
- Embassy located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000
FAX: [1] (202) 483-3972
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Richard F. CELESTE
embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [91] (11) 688-9033, 611-3033
FAX: [91] (11) 419-0025
consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai
(Bombay)
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top),
white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in
the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small
orange disk centered in the white band
India Economy
Economy - overview: India's economy encompasses traditional village
farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern
industries, and a multitude of support services. More than a third
of the population is too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet.
India's international payments position remained strong in 2000 with
adequate foreign exchange reserves, moderately depreciating nominal
exchange rates, and booming exports of software services. Growth in
manufacturing output slowed, and electricity shortages continue in
many regions.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.2 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25%
industry: 24%
services: 51% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 35% (1994 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.5%
highest 10%: 33.5% (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 67%, services 18%, industry
15% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $44.3 billion
expenditures: $73.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY00/01 est.)
Industries: textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel,
transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery,
software
Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 454.561 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 79.41%
hydro: 17.77%
nuclear: 2.52%
other: 0.3% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 424.032 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 200 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 1.49 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea,
sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry;
fish
Exports: $43.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering
goods, chemicals, leather manufactures
Exports - partners: US 22%, UK 6%, Germany 5%, Japan 5%, Hong Kong
5%, UAE 4% (1999)
Imports: $60.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer,
chemicals
Imports - partners: US 9%, Benelux 8%, UK 6%, Saudi Arabia 6%, Japan
6%, Germany 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $99.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $2.9 billion (FY98/99)
Currency: Indian rupee (INR)
Currency code: INR
Exchange rates: Indian rupees per US dollar - 46.540 (January 2001),
44.942 (2000), 43.055 (1999), 41.259 (1998), 36.313 (1997), 35.433
(1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
India Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 27.7 million (October 2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.93 million (November 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: mediocre service; local and
long distance service provided throughout all regions of the
country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas;
major objective is to continue to expand and modernize long-distance
network in order to keep pace with rapidly growing number of local
subscriber lines; steady improvement is taking place with the recent
admission of private and private-public investors, but, with
telephone density at about two for each 100 persons and a waiting
list of over 2 million, demand for main line telephone service will
not be satisfied for a very long time
domestic: local service is provided by microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable, with open wire and obsolete electromechanical and
manual switchboard systems still in use in rural areas; starting in
the 1980s, a substantial amount of digital switch gear has been
introduced for local and long-distance service; long-distance
traffic is carried mostly by coaxial cable and low-capacity
microwave radio relay; since 1985 significant trunk capacity has
been added in the form of fiber-optic cable and a domestic satellite
system with 254 earth stations; mobile cellular service is provided
in four metropolitan cities
international: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges
operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta),
Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gaidhinagar, Hyderabad, and
Ernakulam; 4 submarine cables - LOCOM linking Chennai (Madras) to
Penang; Indo-UAE-Gulf cable linking Mumbai (Bombay) to Al Fujayrah,
UAE; India-SEA-ME-WE-3, SEA-ME-WE-2 with landing sites at Cochin and
Mumbai (Bombay); Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with
landing site at Mumbai (Bombay) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)
Radios: 116 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 562 (of which 82 stations have 1 kW
or greater power and 480 stations have less than 1 kW of power)
(1997)
Televisions: 63 million (1997)
Internet country code: .in
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 43 (2000)
Internet users: 4.5 million (2000)
India Transportation
Railways: total: 62,915 km (12,307 km electrified; 12,617 km double
track)
broad gauge: 40,620 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 18,501 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,794 km 0.762-m and 0.610-m
gauge (1998 est.)
Highways: total: 3,319,644 km
paved: 1,517,077 km
unpaved: 1,802,567 km (1996)
Waterways: 16,180 km
note: 3,631 km navigable by large vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 3,005 km; petroleum products 2,687 km; natural
gas 1,700 km (1995)
Ports and harbors: Chennai (Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal Nehru,
Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Vishakhapatnam
Merchant marine: total: 315 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
6,433,831 GRT/10,691,973 DWT
ships by type: bulk 117, cargo 70, chemical tanker 15, combination
bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 15, liquefied gas 9,
passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 76, short-sea passenger 2,
specialized tanker 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 337 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 235
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 48
1,524 to 2,437 m: 81
914 to 1,523 m: 77
under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 102
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 55 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 16 (2000 est.)
India Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force,
various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border Security
Force, Assam Rifles, Rashtriya Rifles, and National Security Guards)
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 280,204,502
(2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
164,410,461 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males:
10,879,384 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $13.02 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY00)
India Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: boundary with China in dispute; status of
Kashmir with Pakistan; water-sharing problems with Pakistan over the
Indus River (Wular Barrage); a portion of the boundary with
Bangladesh is indefinite; exchange of 151 enclaves along border with
Bangladesh subject to ratification by Indian parliament; dispute
with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty Island
Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of licit opium for the
pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is
diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit country for
illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit
producer of hashish and methaqualone
======================================================================
@Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean Introduction Top of Page
Background: The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's
five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger
than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important
access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb
(Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of
Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International
Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth
ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean
south of 60 degrees south.
Indian Ocean Geography
Location: body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia,
and Australia
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 80 00 E
Map references: World
Area: total: 68.556 million sq km
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great
Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Mozambique Channel,
Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Strait of Malacca, and other tributary water
bodies
Area - comparative: about 5.5 times the size of the US
Coastline: 66,526 km
Climate: northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon
(June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and
October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February
in the southern Indian Ocean
Terrain: surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular
system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of
surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric
pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in
the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents,
while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter
air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest
winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean
Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest
Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel
aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules
Natural hazards: occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in
southern reaches
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the
dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian
Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea
Geography - note: major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of
Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and
the Lombok Strait
Indian Ocean Economy
Economy - overview: The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes
connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and
the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum
and petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and
Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the
bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing
fleets from Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the
Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of
hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia,
Iran, India, and western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's
offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands
rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively
exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa,
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Indian Ocean Transportation
Ports and harbors: Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka),
Durban (South Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta;
India) Melbourne (Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay
(South Africa)
Indian Ocean Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states)
======================================================================
@Indonesia
Indonesia Introduction
Background: The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia achieved
independence from the Netherlands in 1949. Current issues include:
implementing IMF-mandated reforms of the banking sector, effecting a
transition to a popularly elected government after four decades of
authoritarianism, addressing charges of cronyism and corruption,
holding the military accountable for human rights violations, and
resolving growing separatist pressures in Aceh and Irian Jaya. On 30
August 1999 a provincial referendum for independence was
overwhelmingly approved by the people of Timor Timur. Concurrence
followed by Indonesia's national legislature, and the name East
Timor was provisionally adopted. The independent status of East
Timor - now under UN administration - has yet to be formally
established.
Indonesia Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 5 00 S, 120 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 1,919,440 sq km
land: 1,826,440 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 2,602 km
border countries: Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km
Coastline: 54,716 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior
mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m
Natural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber,
bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
Land use: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 62%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 45,970 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis,
earthquakes, volcanoes
Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from
industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and
haze from forest fires
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine
Life Conservation
Geography - note: archipelago of 17,000 islands (6,000 inhabited);
straddles Equator; strategic location astride or along major sea
lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean
Indonesia People
Population: 228,437,870 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.26% (male 35,144,702; female
33,973,879)
15-64 years: 65.11% (male 74,273,519; female 74,458,291)
65 years and over: 4.63% (male 4,641,816; female 5,945,663) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.6% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 22.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 40.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.27 years
male: 65.9 years
female: 70.75 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.58 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 52,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Indonesian(s)
adjective: Indonesian
Ethnic groups: Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal
Malays 7.5%, other 26%
Religions: Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%,
Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)
Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay),
English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is
Javanese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78% (1995 est.)
Indonesia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia
conventional short form: Indonesia
local long form: Republik Indonesia
local short form: Indonesia
former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies
Government type: republic
Capital: Jakarta
Administrative divisions: 27 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular
- propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular -
daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah
khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Irian
Jaya, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur,
Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan
Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara,
Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Riau, Sulawesi Selatan,
Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat,
Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta*; note - the province
of Irian Jaya may have been divided into two new provinces - Central
Irian Jaya and West Irian Jaya; with the implementation of
decentralization on 1 January 2001, the 357 districts (regencies)
may become the key administrative units
note: following the 30 August 1999 provincial referendum for
independence which was overwhelmingly approved by the people of
Timor Timur and the October 1999 concurrence of Indonesia's national
legislature, the name East Timor was adopted as a provisional name
for the political entity formerly known as Propinsi Timor Timur;
East Timor is under UN administration pending its formal independence
Independence: 17 August 1945 (proclaimed independence; on 27
December 1949, Indonesia became legally independent from the
Netherlands)
National holiday: Independence Day, 17 August (1945)
Constitution: August 1945, abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949
and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures code; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless
of age
Executive branch: chief of state: President Abdurrahman WAHID
(since 20 October 1999) and Vice President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri
(since 21 October 1999); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Abdurrahman WAHID (since 20 October
1999) and Vice President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri (since 21 October
1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected separately by the
700-member People's Consultative Assembly or MPR for five-year
terms; election last held 20 and 21 October 1999 (next to be held by
NA 2004)
election results: Abdurrahman WAHID elected president, receiving
373 votes to 313 votes for MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri; MEGAWATI
Sukarnoputri elected vice president, defeating Hamzah HAZ; vote
totals NA
note: the People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan
Rakyat or MPR) includes the House of Representatives (Dewan
Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR) plus 200 indirectly selected members; it
meets every five years to elect the president and vice president and
to approve the broad outlines of national policy
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives or Dewan
Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) (500 seats; 462 elected by popular vote, 38
are appointed military representatives; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 7 June 1999 (next to be held NA June 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDI-P 37.4%, Golkar
20.9%, PKB 17.4%, PPP 10.7%, PAN 7.3%, PBB 1.8%, other 4.5%; seats
by party - PDI-P 154, Golkar 120, PPP 58, PKB 51, PAN 35, PBB 14,
other 30
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed
by the president from a list of candidates approved by the
legislature)
Political parties and leaders: Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB
[Yusril Ihza MAHENDRA, chairman]; Development Unity Party or PPP
(federation of former Islamic parties) [Hamzah HAZ, chairman];
Federation of Functional Groups or Golkar [Akbar TANJUNG, general
chairman]; Indonesia Democracy Party or PDI (federation of former
Nationalist and Christian Parties) [Budi HARDJONO, chairman];
Indonesia Democracy Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri,
chairperson]; National Awakening Party or PKB [Matori Abdul DJALIL,
chairman]; National Mandate Party or PAN [Amien RAIS, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT,
UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
DORODJATUN Kuntjoro-Jakti
chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200
FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and
San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Robert GELBARD
embassy: Jalan Merdeka Selatan 4-5, Jakarta 10110
mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, APO AP 96520
telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000
FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922
consulate(s) general: Surabaya
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white;
similar to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the
flag of Poland, which is white (top) and red
Indonesia Economy
Economy - overview: Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, faces severe
economic problems, stemming from secessionist movements and the low
level of security in the regions, the lack of reliable legal
recourse in contract disputes, corruption, weaknesses in the banking
system, and strained relations with the IMF. Investor confidence
will remain low and few new jobs will be created under these
circumstances. Growth of 4.8% in 2000 is not sustainable, being
attributable to favorable short-term factors, including high world
oil prices, a surge in nonoil exports, and increased domestic demand
for consumer durables.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $654 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21%
industry: 35%
services: 44% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 20% (1998)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.6%
highest 10%: 30.3% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 99 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 45%, industry 16%, services
39% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15%-20% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $26 billion
expenditures: $30 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: petroleum and natural gas; textiles, apparel, and
footwear; mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood; rubber;
food; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 78.674 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 80.36%
hydro: 14.63%
nuclear: 0%
other: 5.01% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 73.167 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber,
cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs
Exports: $64.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: oil and gas, plywood, textiles, rubber
Exports - partners: Japan 21%, US 14%, Singapore 10%, South Korea
7%, Netherlands 3%, Australia 3%, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan (1999
est.)
Imports: $40.4 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment; chemicals, fuels,
foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Japan 12%, US 12%, Singapore 10%, Germany 6%,
Australia 6%, South Korea 6%, Taiwan, China (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $144 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $43 billion from IMF program and other
official external financing (1997-2000)
Currency: Indonesian rupiah (IDR)
Currency code: IDR
Exchange rates: Indonesian rupiahs per US dollar - 10,000 (January
2001), 8,421.8 (2000), 7,855.2 (1999), 10,013.6 (1998), 2,909.4
(1997), 2,342.3 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year; note - previously was 1 April - 31
March, but starting with 2001, has been changed to calendar year
Indonesia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,588,310 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.07 million (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic service fair,
international service good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;
domestic satellite communications system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998)
Radios: 31.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 41 (1999)
Televisions: 13.75 million (1997)
Internet country code: .id
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 24 (2000)
Internet users: 400,000 (2000)
Indonesia Transportation
Railways: total: 6,458 km
narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (101 km electrified; 101 km
double track); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (1995)
Highways: total: 342,700 km
paved: 158,670 km
unpaved: 184,030 km (1997)
Waterways: 21,579 km total
note: Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460
km, Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km
Pipelines: crude oil 2,505 km; petroleum products 456 km; natural
gas 1,703 km (1989)
Ports and harbors: Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Makassar,
Palembang, Semarang, Surabaya
Merchant marine: total: 609 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
2,698,157 GRT/3,723,933 DWT
ships by type: bulk 36, cargo 357, chemical tanker 10, container
25, liquefied gas 3, livestock carrier 1, passenger 7,
passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 117, refrigerated cargo 1, roll
on/roll off 15, short-sea passenger 8, specialized tanker 10,
vehicle carrier 5 (2000 est.)
Airports: 453 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 136
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 39
914 to 1,523 m: 44
under 914 m: 37 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 317
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 283 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 4 (2000 est.)
Indonesia Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines
note: as of 1 July 2000, the National Police became an independent
organization that reports directly to the president
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 64,046,049 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
37,418,755 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males:
2,263,706 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1 billion (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (FY98/99)
Indonesia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Sipadan and Ligitan Islands in dispute
with Malaysia
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic
use; possible growing role as transshipment point for Golden
Triangle heroin
======================================================================
@Iran
Iran Introduction
Background: Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic
republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile.
Conservative clerical forces subsequently crushed westernizing
liberal elements. Militant Iranian students seized the US Embassy in
Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During
1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq over
disputed territory. The key current issue is how rapidly the country
should open up to the modernizing influences of the outside world.
Iran Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf,
and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 53 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries: total: 5,440 km
border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km,
Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq
1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km
Coastline: 2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740
km)
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: natural prolongation
exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in
the Persian Gulf
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Qolleh-ye Damavand 5,671 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Land use: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 27%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 55% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 94,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms;
earthquakes along western border and in the northeast
Environment - current issues: air pollution, especially in urban
areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial
effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil
pollution in the Persian Gulf; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Iran People
Population: 66,128,965 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.97% (male 11,150,053; female
10,654,884)
15-64 years: 62.38% (male 20,765,001; female 20,488,672)
65 years and over: 4.65% (male 1,617,045; female 1,453,310) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.72% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 17.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 29.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.95 years
male: 68.61 years
female: 71.37 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.02 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian
Ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%,
Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian, and Baha'i 1%
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic
dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish
1%, other 2%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 72.1%
male: 78.4%
female: 65.8% (1994 est.)
Iran Government
Country name: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form: Iran
former: Persia
Government type: theocratic republic
Capital: Tehran
Administrative divisions: 28 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan);
Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar
Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan,
Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh
va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin,
Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National holiday: Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Constitution: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of
the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Legal system: the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of
government
Suffrage: 15 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
head of government: President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani
(since 3 August 1997); First Vice President Dr. Mohammad Reza
AREF-YAZDI (since NA August 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with
legislative approval
elections: leader of the Islamic Revolution appointed for life by
the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a
four-year term; election last held 8 June 2001 (next to be held NA
2005)
election results: (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected
president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77%
Legislative branch: unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats
with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 February-NA April 2000 (next to be held NA
2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - reformers
170, conservatives 45, and independents 10; 65 seats were up for
runoff election on 5 May 2000 (reformers 52, conservatives 10,
independents 3)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: the following organizations appeared
to have achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth
Majlis in early 2000: Assembly of the Followers of the Imam's Line,
Freethinkers' Front, Islamic Iran Participation Front, Moderation
and Development Party, Servants of Construction Party, Society of
Self-sacrificing Devotees
Political pressure groups and leaders: active student groups include
the pro-reform "Organization for Strengthening Unity" and "the Union
of Islamic Student Societies'; groups that generally support the
Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Mojahedin of the Islamic
Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, and the
Islamic Coalition Association; opposition groups include the
Liberation Movement of Iran and the Nation of Iran party; armed
political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the
government include Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's
Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan; the Society for the
Defense of Freedom
International organization participation: CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO,
G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Iran has an
Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian
Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - protecting power
in Iran is Switzerland
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of
the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR
(God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the
bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the
red band
Iran Economy
Economy - overview: Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning,
state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village
agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures.
President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of
former President RAFSANJANI and has indicated that he will pursue
diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy although he has made
little progress toward that goal. The strong oil market in 1996
helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's
timely debt service payments. Iran's financial situation tightened
in 1997 and deteriorated further in 1998 because of lower oil
prices. The subsequent zoom in oil prices in 1999-2000 afforded Iran
fiscal breathing room but does not solve Iran's structural economic
problems, including the encouragement of foreign investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $413 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24%
industry: 28%
services: 48% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 53% (1996 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 17.3 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 33%, industry 25%, services
42% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $27 billion
expenditures: $27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999)
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other
construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining
and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments
Industrial production growth rate: 4.4% (nonoil) (1999)
Electricity - production: 103.054 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.16%
hydro: 6.84%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 95.84 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets,
fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
Exports: $25 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits and nuts, iron
and steel, chemicals
Exports - partners: Japan, Italy, UAE, South Korea, France, China
Imports: $15 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: industrial raw materials and intermediate
goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical
services, military supplies
Imports - partners: Germany, South Korea, Italy, UAE, France, Japan
Debt - external: $7.5 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $116.5 million (1995)
Currency: Iranian rial (IRR)
Currency code: IRR
Exchange rates: Iranian rials per US dollar - 1,754.71 (January
2001), 1,764.43 (2000), 1,725.93 (1999), 1,751.86 (1998), 1,752.92
(1997), 1,750.76 (1996)
note: Iran has three officially recognized exchange rates; the
averages for 1999 are as follows: the official floating rate of
1,750 rials per US dollar, the "export" rate of 3,000 rials per US
dollar, and the variable Tehran Stock Exchange rate, which averages
7,863 rials per US dollar; the market rate averages 8,615 rials per
US dollar
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
Iran Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 6.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 265,000 (August 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate but currently
being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving
the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but
also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not
presently connected
domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system
since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave
radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been
brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems
has approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular
subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the
system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital
switches
international: HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait,
Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with
access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan
through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion
to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and
4 Inmarsat; Internet service available but limited to electronic
mail to promote Iranian culture
Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 17 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 4.61 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ir
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 100,000 (2000)
Iran Transportation
Railways: total: 5,600 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 5,506 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified)
note: broad gauge track is employed at the borders with Azerbaijan
and Turkmenistan which have broad-gauge rail systems (2001)
Highways: total: 140,200 km
paved: 49,440 km (including 470 km of expressways)
unpaved: 90,760 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 904 km
note: the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic
for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use
Pipelines: crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural
gas 4,550 km
Ports and harbors: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during
1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr,
Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e
Torkaman, Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye
Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since
November 1992), Now Shahr
Merchant marine: total: 152 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
4,097,977 GRT/7,131,688 DWT
ships by type: bulk 49, cargo 38, chemical tanker 4, combination
bulk 1, container 10, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large-load
carrier 6, petroleum tanker 32, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll
off 9, short-sea passenger 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Singapore 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 317 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 117
over 3,047 m: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 200
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 122
under 914 m: 60 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 11 (2000 est.)
Iran Military
Military branches: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes
Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary
Guards (includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and
Basij-mobilization-forces), Law Enforcement Forces
Military manpower - military age: 21 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 18,319,328 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
10,872,407 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 823,040
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $5.787 billion (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.9% (FY98/99)
Iran Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic
relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written
agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war
concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of
navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; Iran
occupies two islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE: Lesser
Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e
Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in
Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); Iran
jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf
claimed by the UAE (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye
Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) - over which Iran has taken steps to
exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions
and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered
significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these
Iranian actions; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among
Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan
Illicit drugs: despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran
remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to
Europe; domestic consumption of narcotics remains a persistent
problem and Iranian press reports estimate that there are at least
1.2 million drug users in the country
======================================================================
@Iraq
Iraq Introduction
Background: Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq became an
independent kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958,
but in actuality a series of military strongmen have ruled the
country since then, the latest being SADDAM Husayn. Territorial
disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war
(1980-1988). In August 1990 Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by
US-led, UN coalition forces during January-February 1991. The
victors did not occupy Iraq, however, thus allowing the regime to
stay in control. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security
Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass
destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification
inspections. UN trade sanctions remain in effect due to incomplete
Iraqi compliance with relevant UNSC resolutions.
Iraq Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and
Kuwait
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 44 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 437,072 sq km
land: 432,162 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Land boundaries: total: 3,631 km
border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 242 km,
Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km
Coastline: 58 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot,
cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and
Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy
snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive
flooding in central and southern Iraq
Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in
south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran
and Turkey
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Haji Ibrahim 3,600 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 79% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 25,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms, floods
Environment - current issues: government water control projects have
drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by
drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable
population of Shi'a Muslims, who have inhabited these areas for
thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction
of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife
populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of
Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with
upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation
(salination) and erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Iraq People
Population: 23,331,985 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.64% (male 4,934,340; female 4,781,206)
15-64 years: 55.28% (male 6,528,854; female 6,368,823)
65 years and over: 3.08% (male 335,953; female 382,809) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.84% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 34.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 60.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.95 years
male: 65.92 years
female: 68.03 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.75 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or
other 5%
Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or
other 3%
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian,
Armenian
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 70.7%
female: 45% (1995 est.)
Iraq Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
conventional short form: Iraq
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
local short form: Al Iraq
Government type: republic
Capital: Baghdad
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An
Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi
Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 17 July (1968)
Constitution: 22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional
constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted
Legal system: based on Islamic law in special religious courts,
civil law system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President SADDAM Husayn (since 16
July 1979); Vice Presidents Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF (since 21 April
1974) and Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister SADDAM Husayn (since 29 May
1994); Deputy Prime Ministers Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979),
Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim al-AZZAWI (since 30 July 1999), Ahmad Husayn
al-KHUDAYIR (since NA July 2001), and Abd al-Tawab Mullah al-HUWAYSH
(since NA July 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; note - there is also a Revolutionary
Command Council or RCC (Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman Izzat
IBRAHIM al-Duri) which controls the ruling Ba'th Party, and is the
most powerful political entity in the country
elections: president and vice presidents elected by a two-thirds
majority of the Revolutionary Command Council; election last held 17
October 1995 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: SADDAM Husayn reelected president; percent of
vote - 99%; Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF and Taha Yasin RAMADAN elected
vice presidents; percent of vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani
(250 seats; 30 appointed by the president to represent the three
northern provinces of Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah; 220 elected
by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
Political parties and leaders: Ba'th Party [SADDAM Husayn, central
party leader]
Political pressure groups and leaders: any formal political activity
must be sanctioned by the government; opposition to regime from
Kurdish groups and southern Shi'a dissidents
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, EAPC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Iraq has an
Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy headed by Akram AL DOURI;
address: Iraqi Interests Section, Algerian Embassy, 1801 P Street
NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone: [1] (202) 483-7500; FAX: [1]
(202) 462-5066
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - the US has an
Interests Section in the Polish Embassy in Baghdad; address: P. O.
Box 2051 Hay Babel, Baghdad; telephone: [964] (1) 718-9267; FAX:
[964] (1) 718-9297
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white,
and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line
centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great)
in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and
Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991
during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria which
has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen which has a plain
white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic
eagle centered in the white band
Iraq Economy
Economy - overview: Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector,
which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange
earnings. In the 1980s, financial problems caused by massive
expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil
export facilities by Iran led the government to implement austerity
measures, borrow heavily, and later reschedule foreign debt
payments; Iraq suffered economic losses of at least $100 billion
from the war. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports
gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and
restoration of damaged facilities. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in
August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and damage
from military action by an international coalition beginning in
January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. Although
government policies supporting large military and internal security
forces and allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have
hurt the economy, implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program in
December 1996 has helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi
citizen. For the first six, six-month phases of the program, Iraq
was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food,
medicine, and some infrastructure spare parts. In December 1999, the
UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under the program as
much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Oil exports are now
more than three-quarters their prewar level. Per capita food imports
have increased significantly, while medical supplies and health care
services are steadily improving. Per capita output and living
standards are still well below the prewar level, but any estimates
have a wide range of error.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $57 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 15% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6%
industry: 13%
services: 81% (1993 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 100% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.4 million (1989)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials,
food processing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 29.42 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 97.96%
hydro: 2.04%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 27.361 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates,
cotton; cattle, sheep
Exports: $21.8 billion (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil
Exports - partners: Russia, France, Switzerland, China (2000)
Imports: $13.8 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: food, medicine, manufactures
Imports - partners: Egypt, Russia, France, Vietnam (2000)
Debt - external: $139 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $327.5 million (1995)
Currency: Iraqi dinar (IQD)
Currency code: IQD
Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 0.3109 (fixed official
rate since 1982); black market rate - Iraqi dinars per US dollar -
1,910 (December 1999), 1,815 (December 1998), 1,530 (December 1997),
910 (December 1996), 3,000 (December 1995); note - subject to wide
fluctuations
Fiscal year: calendar year
Iraq Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 675,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA; service available in northern Iraq
(2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: reconstitution of damaged
telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged
facilities have been rebuilt
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave
radio relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region),
and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably
nonoperational
Radio broadcast stations: AM 19 (5 are inactive), FM 51, shortwave 4
(1998)
Radios: 4.85 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 13 (1997)
Televisions: 1.75 million (1997)
Internet country code: .iq
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Iraq Transportation
Railways: total: 2,032 km
standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge
note: rail link between Iraq and Syria restored in 2000 after 19
years
Highways: total: 45,550 km
paved: 38,400 km
unpaved: 7,150 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 1,015 km
note: Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for
about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use; Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft
boats; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft
before closing in 1991 because of the Gulf war
Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural
gas 1,360 km
Ports and harbors: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have
limited functionality
Merchant marine: total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
453,273 GRT/779,662 DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 12, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 110 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 76
over 3,047 m: 20
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 34
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 4 (2000 est.)
Iraq Military
Military branches: Army, Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air
Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Fedayeen Saddam
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,902,215 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
3,301,880 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 274,035
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Iraq Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic
relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written
agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war
concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of
navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; in
November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with
Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions
687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier
claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands although the
government continues periodic rhetorical challenges; dispute over
water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
======================================================================
@Ireland
Ireland Introduction
Background: A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off
several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in
independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six
northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. In 1948
Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the
European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the
peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain
against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland,
approved in 1998, was implemented the following year.
Ireland Geography
Location: Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of
Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km
Coastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current;
mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half
the time
Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged
hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m
Natural resources: zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum,
limestone, dolomite, peat, silver
Land use: arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 68%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: water pollution, especially of lakes,
from agricultural runoff
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,
Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: strategic location on major air and sea routes
between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the
population resides within 97 km of Dublin
Ireland People
Population: 3,840,838 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.57% (male 425,328; female 403,204)
15-64 years: 67.08% (male 1,290,002; female 1,286,312)
65 years and over: 11.35% (male 188,868; female 247,124) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.12% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 14.57 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.07 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.99 years
male: 74.23 years
female: 79.93 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,200 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish
(collective plural)
adjective: Irish
Ethnic groups: Celtic, English
Religions: Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9%
(1998)
Languages: English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic)
spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1981 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Ireland Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland
Government type: republic
Capital: Dublin
Administrative divisions: 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork,
Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim,
Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon,
Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
Independence: 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)
National holiday: Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Constitution: 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite
Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11
November 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous
nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of
Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November
2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and
appointed by the president
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote
- Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive
Democrats
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of
the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the
universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational
panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve
five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann
(166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); House of Representatives - last held 6 June 1997 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Fianna Fail 29, Fine Gael 16, Labor Party 4, Progressive
Democrats 4, others 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor
Party 19, Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Green Alliance
2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7; note - seats by party in the House
of Representatives as of 1 January 2001 were as follows: Fianna Fail
76, Fine Gael 54, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 4, Green
Alliance 2, Socialist Party 1, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on
the advice of the prime minister and cabinet)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Left [Proinsias DE ROSSA];
Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Michael NOONAN]; Green Party
[Mary BOWERS]; Labor Party [Ruairi QUINN]; Progressive Democrats
[Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe
HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Tom FRENCH]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CCC,
CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer),
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael J. SULLIVAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [353] (1) 668-7122/668-8777
FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is
shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white,
and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and
has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red
Ireland Economy
Economy - overview: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent
economy with growth averaging a robust 9% in 1995-2000. Agriculture,
once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which
accounts for 38% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 28% of
the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for
Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise
in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business
investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has
implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb
inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills,
and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in launching the euro
currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations. The
Irish economy is in danger of overheating, with the tight labor
market driving up wage demands and inflation.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $81.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 9.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 38%
services: 58% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 10% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.6% (2000)
Labor force: 1.82 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 64%, industry 28%, agriculture
8% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $25.7 billion
expenditures: $19.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $2
billion (2000)
Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and
crystal; software
Industrial production growth rate: 14% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 19.542 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 94.42%
hydro: 4.23%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.35% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 18.414 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 50 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 290 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets,
wheat; beef, dairy products
Exports: $73.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, computers,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
Exports - partners: EU 59% (UK 19%, Germany 9%, France 7%), US 20%
(2000)
Imports: $45.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: data processing equipment, other machinery
and equipment, chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products,
textiles, clothing
Imports - partners: EU 54% (UK 29%, Germany 6%, France 5%), US 18%,
Japan 5%, Singapore 4% (2000)
Debt - external: $11 billion (1998)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $245 million (2000)
Currency: Irish pound (IEP); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Ireland
at a fixed rate of 0.787564 Irish pounds per euro and will replace
the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: IEP; EUR
Exchange rates: Irish pounds per US dollar - 1.0658 (January 2001),
1.0823 (2000), 0.9374 (1999), 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Ireland Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.59 million (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2 million (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern digital system using
cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 2.55 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001)
Televisions: 1.82 million (2001)
Internet country code: .ie
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 22 (2000)
Internet users: 1 million (2001)
Ireland Transportation
Railways: total: 1,947 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km
double track) (1998)
Highways: total: 92,500 km
paved: 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,457 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 700 km (limited facilities for commercial traffic) (1998)
Pipelines: natural gas 7,592 km (transmission 1,158 km; distribution
6,434 km) (2000)
Ports and harbors: Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway,
Limerick, New Ross, Waterford
Merchant marine: total: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
115,554 GRT/135,391 DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 22, container 2, short-sea passenger 1
(2000 est.)
Airports: 44 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 17
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.)
Ireland Military
Military branches: Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps),
National Police (Garda Siochana)
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,004,469 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
809,808 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 32,287
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $738 million (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.75% (2001 est.)
Ireland Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Northern Ireland issue with the UK
(historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998); disputes with
Iceland, Denmark, and the UK over the Faroe Islands continental
shelf boundary outside 200 NM
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from
North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced
synthetic drugs; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine
destined for Western Europe
======================================================================
@Israel
Israel Introduction
Background: Following World War II, the British withdrew from their
mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and
Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently,
the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending
the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by
Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country
profile, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework
established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral
negotiations are being conducted between Israel and Palestinian
representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip)
and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement. On 25 April
1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Outstanding territorial and other
disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994
Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. On 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew
unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982.
Israel Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 1,006 km
border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km,
Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline: 273 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas,
phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand, oil
Land use: arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 66% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,800 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer;
droughts
Environment - current issues: limited arable land and natural fresh
water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air
pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater
pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers,
and pesticides
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine
Life Conservation
Geography - note: there are 231 Israeli settlements and civilian
land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights, 25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2000
est.)
Israel People
Population: 5,938,093 (July 2001 est.)
note: includes about 176,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,
about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about 6,900 in
the Gaza Strip, and about 173,000 in East Jerusalem (August 2000
est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.36% (male 831,523; female 792,982)
15-64 years: 62.73% (male 1,869,114; female 1,855,707)
65 years and over: 9.91% (male 253,105; female 335,662) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.58% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 19.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.71 years
male: 76.69 years
female: 80.84 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.57 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.08% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups: Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born
20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly
Arab) (1996 est.)
Religions: Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim),
Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)
Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab
minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 93% (1992 est.)
Israel Government
Country name: conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its
capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries,
maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz);
Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel
declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is
lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli
citizenship law
Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate
regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat
that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Moshe KATSAV (since 31
July 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 2 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset
elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term;
election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2005);
prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 6 February 2001 (next to be held NA 2005); note -
in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996,
which allowed for the direct election of the prime minister, but in
2001 the Knesset voted to restore the previous method under which
the legislators will choose the next prime minister after the next
legislative elections in 2003
election results: Moshe KATSAV elected president by the 120-member
Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES,
received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON
elected prime minister; percent of vote - Ariel SHARON 62.5%, Ehud
BARAK 37.4%; note - after the next legislative elections scheduled
for 2003, the prime minister will be elected by the Knesset
Legislative branch: unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - One Israel 20.2%,
Likud Party 14.1%, Shas 13%, MERETZ 7.6%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 5.1%,
Shinui 5%, Center Party 5%, National Religious Party 4.2%, United
Torah Judaism 3.7%, United Arab List 3.4%, National Union 3%, Hadash
2.6%, Yisra'el Beiteinu 2.6%, Balad 1.9%, One Nation 1.9%,
Democratic Movement NA (party formed after election, members elected
under Yisra'el Ba'Aliya list); seats by party - One Israel 26, Likud
Party 19, Shas 17, MERETZ 10, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 4, Shinui 6, Center
Party 6, National Religious Party 5, United Torah Judaism 5, United
Arab List 5, National Union 4, Hadash 3, Yisra'el Beiteinu 4,
Democratic Movement 2 (party formed after election, members elected
under Yisra'el Ba'Aliya list), Balad 2, One Nation 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the
president)
Political parties and leaders: Balad or National Democratic Alliance
[Amnon LIPKIN-SHAHAK]; Center Party [Yitzhak MORDECHAI]; Democratic
Movement [Roman BRONFMAN]; Gesher [David LEVI]; Hadash [Muhammad
BARAKA]; Labor Party [leader vacant]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON];
MERETZ [Yossi SARID]; National Democratic Alliance (Balad) [leader
NA]; National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY]; National Union
[Rehavam ZEEVI] (includes Herut, Tekuma, and Moledet); One Israel
[leader NA] (includes Labor, Gesher, and Meimad); One Nation [Amir
PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID]; United Arab
List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Rabbi Eliezer
SHACK, spiritual leader]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya [Natan SHARANSKY];
Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Gush Emunim, Israeli
nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza
Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank
and is critical of government's Lebanon policy
International organization participation: BSEC (observer), CCC, CE
(observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
David IVRY
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Martin S. INDYK
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
mailing address: PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575
FAX: [972] (3) 517-3227
consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission,
established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign
government
Flag description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear
star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between
two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the
flag
Israel Economy
Economy - overview: Israel has a technologically advanced market
economy with substantial government participation. It depends on
imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment.
Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed
its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years.
Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for
grains. Cuts diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural
products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel
usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by
large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly
half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is
its major source of economic and military aid. The influx of Jewish
immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period
1989-99, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet
Union to 1 million, one-sixth of the total population, and adding
scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the
economy's future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new
markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy,
which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began moderating
in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary
policies and the immigration bonus petered out. Growth was a strong
5.9% in 2000. But the outbreak of Palestinian unrest in late
September and the collapse of the BARAK Government - coupled with a
cooling off in the high-technology and tourist sectors - undercut
the boom and foreshadows a slowdown to 2%-3% in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $110.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 37%
services: 59% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 26.9% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.1% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2.4 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: public services 31.2%, manufacturing
20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction
7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and
communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 9% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $40 billion
expenditures: $42.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: high-technology projects (including aviation,
communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical
electronics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food,
beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2000)
Electricity - production: 35.437 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.89%
hydro: 0.11%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 31.899 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 1.061 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 4 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry,
dairy products
Exports: $31.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, software, cut
diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
Exports - partners: US 36%, UK 6%, Benelux 5%, Hong Kong 4%,
Netherlands 4% (1999)
Imports: $35.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, military equipment, investment
goods, rough diamonds, fuels, consumer goods
Imports - partners: US 20%, Benelux 11%, Germany 8%, UK 8%,
Switzerland 6%, Italy 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $38 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.1 billion from the US (1999)
Currency: new Israeli shekel (ILS)
Currency code: ILS
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.0810 (December
2000), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997),
3.1917 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Israel Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.8 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.5 million (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: most highly developed system
in the Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters)
(1995)
Televisions: 1.69 million (1997)
Internet country code: .il
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 21 (2000)
Internet users: 1 million (2000)
Israel Transportation
Railways: total: 610 km
standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)
Highways: total: 15,965 km
paved: 15,965 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas
89 km
Ports and harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa,
Tel Aviv-Yafo
Merchant marine: total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
631,582 GRT/745,011 DWT
ships by type: container 16, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 55 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 30
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 20 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 2 (2000 est.)
Israel Military
Military branches: Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval,
and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard,
Chen (women); note - historically there have been no separate
Israeli military services
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,522,003
females age 15-49: 1,482,027 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,245,757
females age 15-49: 1,208,973 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 49,206
females: 53,379 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $8.7 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 9.4% (FY99)
Israel Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are
Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be
determined through further negotiation; Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights)
Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin
abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and increasingly Jordan
======================================================================
@Italy
Italy Introduction
Background: Italy became a nation-state belatedly - in 1861 when the
city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were
united under King Victor EMMANUEL. An era of parliamentary
government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI
established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with
Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic
republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival
followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European
Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European
economic and political unification, joining the European Monetary
Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, the
ravages of organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the
low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with
the more prosperous north.
Italy Geography
Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central
Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N, 12 50 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 301,230 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km
water: 7,210 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries: total: 1,932.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km
Coastline: 7,600 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry
in south
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) 4,807 m
Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and
crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land
Land use: arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows,
avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land
subsidence in Venice
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial
emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted
from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging
lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location dominating central
Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western
Europe
Italy People
Population: 57,679,825 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.17% (male 4,209,102; female 3,964,765)
15-64 years: 67.48% (male 19,375,742; female 19,546,332)
65 years and over: 18.35% (male 4,368,264; female 6,215,620) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.07% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.05 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.07 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.14 years
male: 75.97 years
female: 82.52 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.18 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.35% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 95,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian
Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-,
and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and
Greek-Italians in the south)
Religions: predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and
Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community
Languages: Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige
region are predominantly German speaking), French (small
French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene
(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1998)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Italy Government
Country name: conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy
Government type: republic
Capital: Rome
Administrative divisions: 20 regions (regioni, singular - regione);
Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna,
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,
Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige,
Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto
Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was
not finally unified until 1870)
National holiday: Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Constitution: 1 January 1948
Legal system: based on civil law system; appeals treated as new
trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial
elections, where minimum age is 25)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI
(since 13 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the
president of the Council of Ministers) Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 10
June 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a
seven-year term; election last held 13 May 1999 (next to be held NA
May 2006); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed
by parliament
election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent
of electoral college vote - 70%
note: a 12-party government coalition; note - BERLUSCONI's
coalition includes Forza Italian, National Alliance, Christian
Democratic Center, Christian Northern League
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of
the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats elected by popular
vote of which 232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by
regional proportional representation plus, in addition, there are a
small number of senators-for-life including former presidents of the
republic; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies
or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by
regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA
2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held
NA 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - House of Liberties 177 (Forza Italia 82, National Alliance
46, CCD-CDU 29, Northern League 17, others 3), Olive Tree 128
(Democrats of the Left 62, Daisy Alliance 42, Sunflower Alliance 16,
Italian Communist Party 3, independents 5), non-affiliated with
either coalition 10, senators for life 9; Chamber of Deputies -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - House of Liberties
367 (Forza Italia 189, National Alliance 96, CCD-CDU 40, Northern
League 30, others 12), Olive Tree 248 (Democrats of the Left 138,
Daisy Alliance 76, Sunflower Alliance 18, Italian Communist Party 9,
independents 7), non-affiliated with either coalition 15
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale
(composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president,
one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary
and administrative Supreme Courts)
Political parties and leaders: Center-Left Olive Tree Coalition
[Francesco RUTELLI] - Democrats of the Left, Daisy Alliance
(including Italian Popular Party, Italian Renewal, Union of
Democrats for Europe, The Democrats), Sunflower Alliance (including
Green Federation, Italian Democratic Socialists), Italian Communist
Party; Christian Democratic Center or CDC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI];
Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE]; Communist
Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Forza Italia or FI [Silvio
BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation [Grazia FRANCESCATO]; House of
Liberties (formerly Freedom Alliance, a center-right coalition)
[leader Silvio BERLUSCONI] - Forza Italian, National Alliance,
Christian Democratic Center, Christian Democratic Union, Northern
League; Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO];
Italian Democratic Socialists [Enrico BOSELLI]; Italian Popular
Party [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI]; Italian Renewal [Lamberto DINI];
Italian Social Movement-Tricolored Flame or MSI-FI [Pino RAUTI];
National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Northern League or NL
[Umberto BOSSI]; Radical Party (formerly Panella Reformers and
Autonomous List) [Marco PANNELLA]; Southern Tyrols People's Party or
SVP (German speakers) [Siegfried BRUGGER]; Union of Democrats for
Europe [Clemente MASTELLA]; The Democrats [Arturo PARISI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Italian manufacturers and
merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized
farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic
Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione
Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Sergio COFFERATI] which is
left wing, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL
[Sergio D'ANTONI] which is Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana
del Lavoro or UIL [Pietro LARIZZA] which is lay centrist)
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ferdinando SALLEO
chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 518-2154
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York,
Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 46741
FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and
is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag
of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist
side), white, and green
note: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in
1797
Italy Economy
Economy - overview: Italy has a diversified industrial economy with
roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK.
This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed
industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less
developed agricultural south, with more than 20% unemployment. Most
raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy
requirements are imported. Since 1992, Italy has adopted budgets
compliant with the requirements of the European Monetary Union
(EMU); wage moderation agreements by representatives of government,
labor, and employers have helped to bring Italy's inflation into
conformity with EMU requirements. Italy's economic performance,
however, has lagged behind that of its EU partners and it must work
to stimulate employment, promote labor flexibility, reform its
expensive pension system, and tackle the informal economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.273 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $22,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.5%
industry: 30.4%
services: 67.1% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.5%
highest 10%: 21.8% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000)
Labor force: 23.4 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: services 61.9%, industry 32.6%,
agriculture 5.5% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 10.4% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $488 billion
expenditures: $501 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food
processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (2000)
Electricity - production: 247.679 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 79.09%
hydro: 18.08%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2.83% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 272.35 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 530 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 42.539 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar
beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish
Exports: $241.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing,
production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment,
chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous
metals
Exports - partners: EU 56.8% (Germany 16.4%, France 12.9%,
Netherlands 7.1%, Spain 6.3%, Netherlands 2.9%), US 9.5% (1999)
Imports: $231.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport
equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles
and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco
Imports - partners: EU 61% (Germany 19.3%, France 12.6%, Netherlands
6.3%, Spain 4.4%), US 5.0% (1999)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1997)
Currency: Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Italy
at a fixed rate of 1,936.27 Italian lire per euro and will replace
the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: ITL; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); Italian lire per US dollar - 1,688.7 (January
1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Italy Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 25 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 20.5 million (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern, well developed, fast;
fully automated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total
of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine
cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9
(1998)
Radios: 50.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 30.3 million (1997)
Internet country code: .it
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)
Internet users: 11.6 million (2000)
Italy Transportation
Railways: total: 19,394 km
standard gauge: 18,071 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS)
operates 16,014 km of the total standard gauge routes (11,322 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,211 km
0.950-m gauge (153 km electrified) (1998)
Highways: total: 654,676 km
paved: 654,676 km (including 6460 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1997)
Waterways: 2,400 km
note: for various types of commercial traffic, although of limited
overall value
Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural
gas 19,400 km
Ports and harbors: Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela,
Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres
(Sardinia), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice (2001)
Merchant marine: total: 445 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
8,005,136 GRT/10,556,244 DWT
ships by type: bulk 44, cargo 41, chemical tanker 77, combination
ore/oil 4, container 24, liquefied gas 38, multi-functional
large-load carrier 1, passenger 11, petroleum tanker 85,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 64, short-sea passenger 26,
specialized tanker 14, vehicle carrier 15 (2000 est.)
Airports: 135 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 97
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 4 (2000 est.)
Italy Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,248,674 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
12,244,166 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 304,369
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $20.7 billion (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (FY00/01)
Italy Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Croatia and Italy made progress toward
resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property
and ethnic minority rights
Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American
cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market
======================================================================
@Jamaica
Jamaica Introduction
Background: Jamaica gained full independence within the British
Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the
1970s led to recurrent violence and a dropoff in tourism. Elections
in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office.
Subsequent governments have been open market oriented. Political
violence marred elections during the 1990s.
Jamaica Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 10,990 sq km
land: 10,830 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,022 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain: mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use: arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 17%
other: 39% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment - current issues: heavy rates of deforestation; coastal
waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage
to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle
emissions
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and
Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal
Jamaica People
Population: 2,665,636 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.7% (male 405,189; female 386,555)
15-64 years: 63.52% (male 845,226; female 847,944)
65 years and over: 6.78% (male 80,667; female 100,055) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.51% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 18.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -7.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.42 years
male: 73.45 years
female: 77.49 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.08 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.71% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,900 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 650 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups: black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese
0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%,
Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist
2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%,
Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual
cults 34.7%
Languages: English, Creole
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 85%
male: 80.8%
female: 89.1% (1995 est.)
Jamaica Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital: Kingston
Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston,
Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine,
Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny,
Westmoreland
Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, first Monday in August (1962)
Constitution: 6 August 1962
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix
COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since
30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA
1993)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime
minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the
governor general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a
21-member body appointed by the governor general on the
recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the
opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition
is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March
2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PNP 50, JLP 10
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Edward
SEAGA]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Bruce GOLDING];
People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders: New Beginnings Movement or
NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Richard Leighton BERNAL
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Stanley Louis MCLELLAND
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor,
Kingston 5
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859
FAX: [1] (876) 926-6743
Flag description: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four
triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer
side)
Jamaica Economy
Economy - overview: Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite
(alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and
tourism. Since assuming office in 1992, Prime Minister PATTERSON has
eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and
privatized government enterprises. Continued tight monetary and
fiscal policies have helped slow inflation - although inflationary
pressures are mounting - and stabilize the exchange rate, but have
resulted in the slowdown of economic growth (moving from 1.5% in
1992 to 0.5% in 1995). In 1996, GDP showed negative growth (-1.4%)
and remained negative through 1999. Serious problems include: high
interest rates; increased foreign competition; the weak financial
condition of business in general resulting in receiverships or
closures and downsizings of companies; the shift in investment
portfolios to non-productive, short-term high yield instruments; a
pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a widening merchandise
trade deficit; and a growing internal debt for government bailouts
to various ailing sectors of the economy, particularly the financial
sector. Depressed economic conditions in 1999-2000 led to increased
civil unrest, including a mounting crime rate. Jamaica's medium-term
prospects will depend upon encouraging investment in the productive
sectors, maintaining a competitive exchange rate, stabilizing the
labor environment, selling off reacquired firms, and implementing
proper fiscal and monetary policies.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $9.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 35.2%
services: 57.4% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 34.2% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.9%
highest 10%: 28.9% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.13 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: services 60%, agriculture 21%, industry
19% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 16% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.23 billion
expenditures: $2.56 billion, including capital expenditures of
$232.5 million (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light
manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products
Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.53 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 92.28%
hydro: 1.36%
nuclear: 0%
other: 6.36% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.073 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus,
potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk
Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: alumina, bauxite; sugar, bananas, rum
Exports - partners: US 35.7%, EU (excluding UK) 15.8%, UK 13%,
Canada 10.5% (1999)
Imports: $3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals, fertilizers
Imports - partners: US 47.8%, Caricom countries 12.4%, Latin America
7.2%, EU (excluding UK) 4.7% (1999)
Debt - external: $4.7 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $102.7 million (1995)
Currency: Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Currency code: JMD
Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 45.557 (January
2001), 42.701 (2000), 39.044 (1999), 36.550 (1998), 35.404 (1997),
37.120 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Jamaica Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 353,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 54,640 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: fully automatic domestic
telephone network
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 1.215 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (1997)
Televisions: 460,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .jm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 21 (2000)
Internet users: 60,000 (2000)
Jamaica Transportation
Railways: total: 370 km
standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge; note - 207 km belong to the
Jamaica Railway Corporation in common carrier service, but are no
longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used
to transport bauxite
Highways: total: 19,000 km
paved: 13,433 km
unpaved: 5,567 km (1997)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km
Ports and harbors: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego
Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf)
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,930
GRT/3,065 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 35 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 22 (2000 est.)
Jamaica Military
Military branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces,
Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 736,627 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
517,077 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 27,729
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $30 million (FY95/96 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Jamaica Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for cocaine from South
America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of
cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication
program; corruption is a major concern
======================================================================
@Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Introduction
Background: This desolate, mountainous island was named after a
Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614
(earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal
hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came
under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Beerenberg
volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is the northernmost active
volcano on earth.
Jan Mayen Geography
Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the
Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 373 sq km
land: 373 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 4 NM
Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII
Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
Jan Mayen People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation
(Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station
(July 2001 est.)
Jan Mayen Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo
through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard);
however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the
Norwegian Defense Communication Service
Legal system: the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
Jan Mayen Economy
Economy - overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no
exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to
providing services for employees of Norway's radio and
meteorological stations located on the island.
Jan Mayen Communications
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (Jan Mayen and Svalbard) (2000)
Jan Mayen Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Jan Mayen Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
Jan Mayen Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Japan
Japan Introduction
Background: While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly
absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan
recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world
and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne
as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of
powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The
economy experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three
decades of unprecedented growth.
Japan Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean
and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 377,835 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
water: 3,091 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,
Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and
Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the international
straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and
Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use: arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 67%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500
seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant
emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and
reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life;
Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber,
contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and
elsewhere
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location in northeast Asia
Japan People
Population: 126,771,662 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.64% (male 9,510,296; female 9,043,074)
15-64 years: 67.83% (male 43,202,513; female 42,790,187)
65 years and over: 17.53% (male 9,351,340; female 12,874,252) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.17% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 10.04 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.8 years
male: 77.62 years
female: 84.15 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.41 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 10,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 150 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, Korean 0.6% (1999)
Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16%
(including Christian 0.7%)
Languages: Japanese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1970 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Japan Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Japan
Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary
government
Capital: Tokyo
Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori,
Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima,
Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima,
Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano,
Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga,
Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo,
Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
National holiday: Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)
Constitution: 3 May 1947
Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with
English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in
the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January
1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 24
April 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the
prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister
must command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of
a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes
prime minister
note: following the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI,
Junichiro KOIZUMI was elected as the new president of the majority
Liberal Democratic Party, and soon thereafter designated by the Diet
to become the next prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House
of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members
elected every three years - 76 seats of which are elected from the
47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from
a single nationwide list; members elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480
seats - 180 of which are elected from 11 regional blocks on a
proportional representation basis and 300 of which are elected from
300 single-seat districts; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: House of Councillors - last held 12 July 1998 (next to
be held NA July 2001); House of Representatives - last held 25 June
2000 (next to be held by June 2004)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - LDP 102, DPJ 47, JCP 23, Komeito 22, SDP 13,
Liberal Party 12, independents 26, others 7; note - the distribution
of seats as of February 2001 is as follows - LDP 112, DPJ 58,
Komeito 24, JCP 23, SDP 13, Liberal Party 5, independents 7, others
10; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - LDP 233, DPJ 127, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22, JCP 20,
SDP 19, other 28; note - the distribution of seats as of February
2001 is as follows - LDP 239, DPJ 129, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22,
JCP 20, SDP 19, other 20
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the
monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are
appointed by the cabinet)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ
[Yukio HATOYAMA, leader, Naoto KAN, secretary general]; Japan
Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII, chairman, Tadaaki ICHIDA,
secretary general]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president, Tetsuzo
FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP
[Junichiro KOIZUMI, president, Taku YAMASAKI, secretary general];
Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA, president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary
general]; New Conservative Party [Chikage OGI, president, Takeshi
NODA, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Takako
DOI, chairperson, Sadao FUCHIGAMI, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CCC,
CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 5, G- 7,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE
(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR,
UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Shunji YANAI
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver,
Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri),
Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San
Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate Howard H. BAKER, Jr.
embassy: 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 205, APO AP 96337-5004
telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000
FAX: [81] (03) 3224-5856
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the sun
without rays) in the center
Japan Economy
Economy - overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work
ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense
allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary
rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy
in the world after the US and third largest economy in the world
after the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is
the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors
in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has
been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion
of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry,
the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on
imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural
sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among
the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan
must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder
crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and
accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades
overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in
the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s.
Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s largely because of the
aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and
contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative
excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts
to revive economic growth have met little success and were further
hampered in late 2000 by the slowing of the US and Asian economies.
The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population
are two major long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key
long-term economic strength, with Japan possessing 410,000 of the
world's 720,000 "working robots".
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.15 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2%
industry: 35%
services: 63% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
4.8%
highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 67.7 million (December 2000)
Labor force - by occupation: services 65%, industry 30%, agriculture
5%
Unemployment rate: 4.7% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $441 billion
expenditures: $718 billion, including capital expenditures (public
works only) of about $84 billion (FY01/02 est.)
Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced
producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools,
steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed
foods
Industrial production growth rate: 5.3% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 1.018 trillion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 58.91%
hydro: 8.35%
nuclear: 30.31%
other: 2.43% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 947.038 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork,
poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish
Exports: $450 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles, semiconductors, office
machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners: US 30%, Taiwan 7%, South Korea 6.4%, China 6.2%,
Hong Kong 5.6% (2000 est.)
Imports: $355 billion (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles,
office machinery
Imports - partners: US 19%, China 14.5%, South Korea 5.4%, Taiwan
4.8%, Indonesia 4.3%, Australia 3.9% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)
Currency: yen (JPY)
Currency code: JPY
Exchange rates: yen per US dollar - 117.10 (January 2001), 107.77
(2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Japan Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 60.381 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 63.88 million (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and
international service
domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of
every kind
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and
1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to
China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 190, FM 88, shortwave 24 (1999)
Radios: 120.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7,108 (plus 441 repeaters; note - in
addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable
services) (1999)
Televisions: 86.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: .jp
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 73 (2000)
Internet users: 27.06 million (2000)
Japan Transportation
Railways: total: 23,670.7 km
standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified)
narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8
km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6
km electrified) (1994)
Highways: total: 1,152,207 km
paved: 863,003 km (including 6,114 km of expressways)
unpaved: 289,204 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 1,770 km approximately
note: seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas
1,800 km
Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate,
Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro,
Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo,
Tomakomai
Merchant marine: total: 630 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
11,691,174 GRT/15,484,848 DWT
ships by type: bulk 137, cargo 51, chemical tanker 15, combination
bulk 22, combination ore/oil 3, container 22, liquefied gas 49,
passenger 9, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 194, refrigerated
cargo 15, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 6, vehicle
carrier 56 (2000 est.)
Airports: 173 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 142
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 38
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 30 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 16 (2000 est.)
Japan Military
Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force
(Air Force)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 29,926,614 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
25,876,484 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 765,817
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $43 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.96% (FY01)
Japan Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and
Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in
1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks
(Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku
Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
======================================================================
@Jarvis Island
Jarvis Island Introduction
Background: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited
island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after
tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889,
but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US
occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935. Abandoned after World War
II, the island is currently a National Wildlife Refuge administered
by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near
the middle of the west coast.
Jarvis Island Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half
of the way from Hawaii to the Cook Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 22 S, 160 03 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 4.5 sq km
land: 4.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 7 m
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s),
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can
be a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and
low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging
habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife
Jarvis Island People
Population: uninhabited
note: Millersville settlement on western side of island
occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II,
when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International
Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by
special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and
generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually
by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2001 est.)
Jarvis Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jarvis Island
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered
from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US
Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge
system
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Jarvis Island Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Jarvis Island Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is
one small boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and
another near the southwest corner of the island
Transportation - note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the
west coast
Jarvis Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard
Jarvis Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Jersey
Jersey Introduction
Background: The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands
represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that
held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only
British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.
Jersey Geography
Location: Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest
of France
Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N, 2 10 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 70 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers
Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north
coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m
Natural resources: arable land
Land use: arable land: 66%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about
30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier
Jersey People
Population: 89,361 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.77% (male 8,214; female 7,667)
15-64 years: 67.59% (male 30,065; female 30,331)
65 years and over: 14.64% (male 5,603; female 7,481) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.48% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.63 years
male: 76.21 years
female: 81.23 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.56 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent
Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New
Church, Methodist, Presbyterian
Languages: English (official), French (official), Norman-French
dialect spoken in country districts
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Jersey Government
Country name: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey
Dependency status: British crown dependency
Government type: NA
Capital: Saint Helier
Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and
practice
Legal system: English law and local statute
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air
Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff
Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995)
cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and
bailiff appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting
members - 12 senators, 12 constables or heads of parishes, 29
deputies; all elected for six-year terms, half elected every third
year; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members -
the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General
all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52
Judicial branch: Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college
and the bailiff)
Political parties and leaders: none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown
dependency)
Flag description: white with a diagonal red cross extending to the
corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a
yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in
yellow
Jersey Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is based largely on international
financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower,
tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped
mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known
worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk
products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance
sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism,
another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent
years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in
Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed
alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw
material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large
share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the
island a popular tax haven.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 2%
services: 93% (1996)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1998)
Labor force: 57,050 (1996)
Unemployment rate: 0.7% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98
million (2000 est.)
Industries: tourism, banking and finance, dairy
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - imports: NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France
Agriculture - products: potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy
products
Exports: $NA
Exports - commodities: light industrial and electrical goods,
foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners: UK
Imports: $NA
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners: UK
Debt - external: none
Economic aid - recipient: none
Currency: British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound
Currency code: GBP
Exchange rates: Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001),
0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403
(1996); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Jersey Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 65,500 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,400 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 3 submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .je
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: NA
Jersey Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 577 km (1995)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Jersey Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Jersey Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Johnston Atoll
Johnston Atoll Introduction
Background: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston
Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until
the late 1880s. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and
subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was
used for high altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and
until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and
disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now
complete, and cleanup and closure of the facility is progressing.
Johnston Atoll Geography
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 NM (1328 km)
southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, about one-third of the way from
Hawaii to the Marshall Islands
Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 169 31 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 2.8 sq km
land: 2.8 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 10 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade
winds with little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Summit Peak 5 m
Natural resources: guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890,
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean;
Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been
expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island
(Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; egg-shaped
reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the public; former US
nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent
Disposal System (JACADS); some low-growing vegetation
Johnston Atoll People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: in previous years, there was an average of 1,100 US military
and civilian contractor personnel present; as of 1 October 2000,
population decreased to approximately 970 when US Army Chemical
Activity Pacific (USACAP) departed (January 2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -5.94% (2001 est.)
Johnston Atoll Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Johnston Atoll
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered
from Washington, DC, by Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, and the Fish
and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of
the National Wildlife Refuge system
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Johnston Atoll Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to providing
services to US military personnel and contractors located on the
island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity - production: approximately 1,000,000 kWh weekly; note -
there are six 25,000 kWh generators supplied by the base operating
support contractor (1999)
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Johnston Atoll Communications
Telephone system: general assessment: 13 outgoing and 10 incoming
commercial lines; adequate telecommunications
domestic: 60-channel submarine cable, 22 DSN circuits by satellite,
Autodin with standard remote terminal, digital telephone switch,
Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), UHF/VHF air-ground
radio, a link to the Pacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network
(PCTN) satellite
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Television broadcast stations: commercial satellite television
system, with 16 channels (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Johnston Atoll Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Johnston Island
Airports: 1; note - six flights per week; three commercial, three
military (2001 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Johnston Atoll Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Johnston Atoll Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Jordan
Jordan Introduction
Background: For most of its history since independence from British
administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN
(1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing
pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab
states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through
several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary
elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994
a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the
eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne
following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has
consolidated his power and established his domestic priorities.
Jordan Geography
Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 92,300 sq km
land: 91,971 sq km
water: 329 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 1,619 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km,
Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great
Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use: arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 85% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 630 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Jordan People
Population: 5,153,378 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.23% (male 980,345; female 938,081)
15-64 years: 59.44% (male 1,633,579; female 1,429,631)
65 years and over: 3.33% (male 84,815; female 86,927) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 25.44 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 7.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 20.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.53 years
male: 75.1 years
female: 80.12 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.29 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Jordanian(s)
adjective: Jordanian
Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox,
but some Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic
Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2%
(several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2000 est.)
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper
and middle classes
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.6%
male: 93.4%
female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
Jordan Government
Country name: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amman
Administrative divisions: 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq,
'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Constitution: 8 January 1952
Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review
of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7
February 1999); Crown Prince HAMZAH (half brother of the monarch,
born 29 March 1980)
head of government: Prime Minister Ali Abul RAGHEB (since 19 June
2000)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation
with the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma
consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the monarch
from designated categories of public figures; members serve
four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 4 November 1997
(next to be held NA November 2001)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - National Constitutional Party 2, Arab
Land Party 1, independents 75, other 2
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved
by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final
appeal)
Political parties and leaders: Al-Umma (Nation) Party [Ahmad
al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Muhammad
al-'ORAN, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity
Party [Sa'eed THIYAB, secretary general]; National Constitutional
Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Council of Professional
Association Presidents [Ahmad al-QADIRI, chairman]; Jordanian Press
Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood
[Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general]
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Marwan Jamil MUASHER
chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
William J. BURNS
embassy: Abdoum, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE
09892-0200
telephone: [962] (6) 5920101
FAX: [962] (6) 5920121
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top, the
Abbassid Caliphate of Islam), white (the Ummayyad Caliphate of
Islam), and green (the Fatimid Caliphate of Islam) with a red
isosceles triangle (representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916)
based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star
symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the
Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God,
humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and
aspirations
Jordan Economy
Economy - overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate
supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The
Persian Gulf crisis, which began in August 1990, aggravated Jordan's
already serious economic problems, forcing the government to stop
most debt payments and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from
Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade revenues contracted.
Refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments
problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources.
The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital
repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9%
in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 1.5% during 1996-99. In an
attempt to spur growth, King ABDALLAH has undertaken limited
economic reform, including partial privatization of some state-owned
enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade
Organization (WTrO). Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental
ongoing economic problems.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 25%
services: 72% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 30% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.4%
highest 10%: 34.7% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.15 million
note: in addition, at least 300,000 workers are employed abroad
(1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants,
and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications
8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 15% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (1999
est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.8 billion
expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.657 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.79%
hydro: 0.21%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.594 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 407 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons,
olives; sheep, goats, poultry
Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural
products, manufactures
Exports - partners: India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE,
Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Ethiopia
Imports: $4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment,
food, live animals, manufactured goods
Imports - partners: Iraq, Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy, Turkey,
Malaysia, Syria, China
Debt - external: $8 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $850 million (1996 est.)
Currency: Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Currency code: JOD
Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.7090
(1996-present )
note: since May 1989, the Jordanian dinar has been pegged to a
group of currencies
Fiscal year: calendar year
Jordan Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 403,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 11,500 (1995)
Telephone system: general assessment: service has improved recently
with the increased use of digital switching equipment, but better
access to the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and
easier access to pay telephones is needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and
fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use is
made of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat,
and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to
Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria;
connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link
Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links
total about 4,000
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios: 1.66 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 500,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .jo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000)
Internet users: 87,500 (2000)
Jordan Transportation
Railways: total: 677 km
narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 8,000 km
paved: 8,000 km
unpaved: 0 km (2000 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use
Ports and harbors: Al 'Aqabah
Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 40,919
GRT/57,777 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3, container 1, roll on/roll off 1
(2000 est.)
Airports: 18 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 15
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Jordan Military
Military branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal
Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air
Force); Ministry of the Interior's Public Security Force (falls
under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,458,571 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,034,109 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 57,131
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $608.9 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 7.8% (FY98/99)
Jordan Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Juan de Nova Island
Juan de Nova Island Introduction
Background: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and
explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has
been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small
military garrison oversees a meteorological station.
Juan de Nova Island Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about
one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 17 03 S, 42 45 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 4.4 sq km
land: 4.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about seven times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 24.1 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: low and flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 10 m
Natural resources: guano deposits and other fertilizers
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 90%
other: 10%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: periodic cyclones
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: wildlife sanctuary
Juan de Nova Island People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a small French military garrison (July 2001 est.)
Juan de Nova Island Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Juan de Nova
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high
commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (possession of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (possession of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Juan de Nova Island Economy
Economy - overview: Up to 12,000 tons of guano are mined per year.
Juan de Nova Island Communications
Communications - note: 1 meteorological station
Juan de Nova Island Transportation
Railways: total: NA km; short line going to a jetty
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Juan de Nova Island Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Juan de Nova Island Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar
======================================================================
@Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Introduction
Background: Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic
tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely
united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the
18th century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During
the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet
citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern
pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some
other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled
non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence has caused many of
these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a
cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the
country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets;
and continuing to strengthen relations with neighboring states and
other foreign powers.
Kazakhstan Geography
Location: Central Asia, northwest of China
Geographic coordinates: 48 00 N, 68 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 2,717,300 sq km
land: 2,669,800 sq km
water: 47,500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 12,012 km
border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846
km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral
Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian
Sea (1,894 km)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Terrain: extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the
plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal,
iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum,
lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 11%
permanent pastures: 57%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 16% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land: 22,000 sq km (1996 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty
Environment - current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites
associated with its former defense industries and test ranges are
found throughout the country and pose health risks for humans and
animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the
two main rivers which flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted
for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer
of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then
picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution
in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural
chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful
irrigation practices
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq
km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome
Kazakhstan People
Population: 16,731,303 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.73% (male 2,271,866; female 2,200,078)
15-64 years: 66.03% (male 5,358,535; female 5,688,550)
65 years and over: 7.24% (male 412,761; female 799,513) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.03% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 17.3 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 59.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.29 years
male: 57.87 years
female: 68.97 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.07 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani
Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%,
Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Uighur 1.4%, other 6.6% (1999 census)
Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 40%, Russian (official,
used in everyday business) 66%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 96% (1989 est.)
Kazakhstan Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Astana; note - the government moved from Almaty to Astana
in December 1998
Administrative divisions: 14 oblystar (singular - oblysy) and 3
cities (qala, singular - qalasy)*; Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana),
Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*,
Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Shevchenko), Ongtustik Qazaqstan
(Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys
Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan
(Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of
Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would
lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the
Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr
(Baykonyr, formerly Leninsk)
Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday: Republic Day, 25 October (1990)
Constitution: adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first
post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV
(chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected
president 1 December 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Kazymzhomart TOKAYEV (since 2
October 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously
scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note - President NAZARBAYEV's
previous term had been extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum
held 30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president;
percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 81.7%, Serikbolsyn
ABDILDIN 12.1%, Gani KASYMOV 4.7%, other 1.5%
note: President NAZARBAYEV expanded his presidential powers by
decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and
dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his
discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47
seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are
popularly elected, two from each of the former oblasts and the
former capital of Almaty, to serve six-year terms) and the Majilis
(67 seats; the addition of 10 "Party List" seats brings the total to
77; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms); note -
with the oblasts being reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be
reduced to 37; a number of Senate seats come up for reelection every
two years
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to
be held NA 2001); Majilis - last held 10 and 24 October and 26
December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; 16 seats up for election in 1999, candidates nominated
by local councils; Majilis - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - Otan 23, Civic Party 13, Communist Party 3, Agrarian
Party 3, People's Cooperative Party 1, independents 34; note - most
independent candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises
and other pro-government institutions
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council
(7 members)
Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party [Romin MADENOV]; Alash
[Soverkazhy AKATAYEV]; AZAMAT Movement [Petr SVOIK, Murat AUEZOV,
and Galym ABILSIITOV, cochairmen]; Civic Party [Azat PERUASHEV,
first secretary]; Communist Party or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN,
first secretary]; Forum of Democratic Forces [Nurbulat MASANOV,
Deputy Chairman of the Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan
(RNPK); Amirzhan KOSANOV, RNPK activist; Seidakhmet KUTTYKADAM,
Orleu Movement; cochairmen]; Labor and Worker's Movement [Madel
ISMAILOV, chairman]; Orleu Movement [Seidakhmet KUTTYKADAM]; Otan
[Sergei TERESCHENKO, chairman]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye
[Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; People's Congress of Kazakhstan of
NKK [Olzhas SULEIMENOV, chairman]; People's Cooperative Party
[Umirzak SARSENOV]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Nursultan A.
NAZARBAYEV]; Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan or RNPK
[Akezhan KAZHEGELDIN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Kazakhstan International
Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kanat SAUDABAYEV
chancery: 1401 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Richard H. JONES
embassy: 99/97A Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
480091
mailing address: American Embassy Almaty, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7030
telephone: [7] (3272) 63-39-21, 50-76-23, 50-76-27 (emergency
number)
FAX: [7] (3272) 63-38-83, 50-76-24
Flag description: sky blue background representing the endless sky
and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in
the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold
Kazakhstan Economy
Economy - overview: Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former
Soviet republics in territory, possesses enormous fossil fuel
reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals.
It also is a large agricultural - livestock and grain - producer.
Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and
processing of these natural resources and also on a growing
machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment,
tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The
breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse of demand for
Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a
short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual
decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government
program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in
a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The
Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement to build a new pipeline from
western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field to the Black Sea increases
prospects for substantially larger oil exports in several years.
Kazakhstan's economy again turned downward in 1998 with a 2% decline
in GDP due to slumping oil prices and the August financial crisis in
Russia. The recovery of international oil prices in 1999, combined
with a well-timed tenge devaluation and a bumper grain harvest,
pulled the economy out of recession in 2000. Astana has embarked
upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away
from overdependence on the oil sector by developing light industry.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $85.6 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 10.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10%
industry: 30%
services: 60% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.7%
highest 10%: 26.3% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 8.8 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 27%, agriculture 23%, services
50% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 13.7% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3.1 billion
expenditures: $3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc,
copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron
and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural
machinery, electric motors, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: 14.9% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 44.36 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 87.12%
hydro: 12.65%
nuclear: 0.23%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 44.132 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 200 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 3.077 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; wool,
livestock
Exports: $8.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: oil 40%, ferrous and nonferrous metals,
machinery, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal
Exports - partners: EU 23%, Russia 20%, China 8% (1999)
Imports: $6.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and parts, industrial materials,
oil and gas, vehicles
Imports - partners: Russia 37%, US, Uzbekistan, Turkey, UK, Germany,
Ukraine, South Korea (1999)
Debt - external: $12.5 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $409.6 million (1995)
Currency: tenge (KZT)
Currency code: KZT
Exchange rates: tenge per US dollar - 145.09 (January 2001), 142.13
(2000), 119.52 (1999), 78.30 (1998), 75.44 (1997), 67.30 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Kazakhstan Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.818 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 11,202 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: service is poor; equipment
antiquated
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile
cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: international traffic with other former Soviet
republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay;
with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)
fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios: 6.47 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 3.88 million (1997)
Internet country code: .kz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: 70,000 (2000)
Kazakhstan Transportation
Railways: total: 14,400 km in common carrier service; does not
include industrial lines
broad gauge: 14,400 km 1.520-m gauge (3,299 km electrified) (1997)
Highways: total: NA km
paved: 150,000 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and
include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are
surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them
trafficable in all weather) (2000)
unpaved: NA km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are
difficult to negotiate in wet weather)
Waterways: 3,900 km
note: on the Syrdariya (Syr Darya) and Ertis (Irtysh) rivers
Pipelines: crude oil 2,850 km; refined products 1,500 km; natural
gas 3,480 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen
(Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Airports: 449 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 28
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 14
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 421
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 45
914 to 1,523 m: 101
under 914 m: 246 (2000 est.)
Kazakhstan Military
Military branches: General Purpose Forces (Army), Air Force, Border
Guards, Navy, Republican Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,509,179 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
3,598,859 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 163,628
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $322 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY99)
Kazakhstan Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet
determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and
Turkmenistan
Illicit drugs: significant illicit cultivation of cannabis and
limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug
ephedrone); limited government eradication program; cannabis
consumed largely in the CIS; used as transshipment point for illicit
drugs to Russia, North America, and Western Europe from Southwest
Asia; developing heroin addiction problem
======================================================================
@Kenya
Kenya Introduction
Background: Revered president and liberation struggle icon Jomo
KENYATTA led Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when
current President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a
constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party
state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National
Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded
to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in
late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge
KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by
violence and fraud, but are viewed as having generally reflected the
will of the Kenyan people. The country faces a period of political
uncertainty because MOI is constitutionally required to step down at
the next elections that have to be held by early 2003.
Kenya Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between
Somalia and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries: total: 3,446 km
border countries: Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline: 536 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift
Valley; fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies,
fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 37%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring drought in northern and eastern regions;
flooding during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues: water pollution from urban and
industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use
of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake
Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most
successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers on
Mt. Kenya; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife
of scientific and economic value
Kenya People
Population: 30,765,916
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.95% (male 6,524,776; female 6,381,192)
15-64 years: 55.26% (male 8,529,842; female 8,471,609)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 376,151; female 482,346) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.27% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 28.5 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.35 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 1999 Kenya was host to
223,700 refugees from neighboring countries, including: Somalia
141,000 and Sudan 64,250
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 67.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.49 years
male: 46.57 years
female: 48.44 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.95% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2.1 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 180,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba
11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian,
European, and Arab) 1%
Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs
26%, Muslim 7%, other 1%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for
the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous
beliefs vary widely
Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous
indigenous languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1%
male: 86.3%
female: 70% (1995 est.)
Kenya Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa
Government type: republic
Capital: Nairobi
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast,
Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued
with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, and 1997
Legal system: based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic
law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982
making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Daniel Toroitich arap
MOI (since 14 October 1978); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14
October 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote from among the members
of the National Assembly for a five-year term; in addition to
receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the
presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at
least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a
runoff; election last held 29 December 1997 (next to be held by
early 2003); vice president appointed by the president
election results: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI reelected;
percent of vote - Daniel T. arap MOI (KANU) 40.6%, Mwai KIBAKI (DP)
31.5%, Raila ODINGA (NDP) 11.1%, Michael WAMALWA (FORD-K) 8.4%,
Charity NGILU (SDP) 7.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (222
seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms,
12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president,
but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary
vote totals)
elections: last held 29 December 1997 (next to be held by early
2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
KANU 107, FORD-A 1, FORD-K 17, FORD-People 3, DP 39, NDP 21, SDP 15,
SAFINA 5, smaller parties 2; seats appointed by the president - KANU
6, FORD-K 1, DP 2, SDP 1, NDP 1, SAFINA 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the
president); High Court
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Kenya or DP [Mwai
KIBAKI]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Asili or FORD-A
[Martin SHIKUKU, secretary general]; Forum for the Restoration of
Democracy-Kenya or FORD-K [Michael Kijana WAMALWA]; Forum for the
Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa NYOIKE,
chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [President Daniel
Toroitich arap MOI] - the governing party; National Development
Party or NDP [Raila ODINGA, president]; SAFINA [Farah MAALIM,
chairman]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Dr. Apollo NJONJO,
secretary general and Justus NYANG'AYA, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: human rights groups; labor
unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council
or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and
nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA]; Protestant National
Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman
Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya
Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY, chairman]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB,
ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNU,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Yusuf Abdulraham NZIBO
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
consulate(s) general: offices in Los Angeles and New York are
closed; mission to the UN remains open
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Johnnie CARSON
embassy: US Embassy, Mombasa Road, Nairobi
mailing address: P. O. Box 30137, Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (2) 537-800
FAX: [254] (2) 537-810
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red,
and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield
covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center
Kenya Economy
Economy - overview: Kenya is well placed to serve as an engine of
growth in East Africa, but its economy has been stagnating because
of poor management and uneven commitment to reform. In 1993, the
government of Kenya implemented a program of economic liberalization
and reform that included the removal of import licensing, price
controls, and foreign exchange controls. With the support of the
World Bank, IMF, and other donors, the reforms led to a brief
turnaround in economic performance following a period of negative
growth in the early 1990s. Kenya's real GDP grew 5% in 1995 and 4%
in 1996, and inflation remained under control. Growth slowed after
1997, averaging only 1.5% in 1997-2000. In 1997, political violence
damaged the tourist industry, and Kenya's Enhanced Structural
Adjustment Program lapsed due to the government's failure to
maintain reform or address public sector corruption. Severe drought
in 1999 and 2000 caused water and energy rationing and reduced
agricultural sector productivity. A new economic team was put in
place in 1999 to revitalize the reform effort, strengthen the civil
service, and curb corruption. The IMF and World Bank renewed their
support to Kenya in mid-2000, but a number of setbacks to the
economic reform program in late 2000 have renewed donor and private
sector concern about the government's commitment to sound
governance. Long-term barriers to development include electricity
shortages, inefficient government dominance of key sectors, endemic
corruption, and high population growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $45.6 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25%
industry: 13%
services: 62% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 42% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.8%
highest 10%: 34.9% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 9.2 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%-80%
Unemployment rate: 50% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.91 billion
expenditures: $2.97 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture,
batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products
processing; oil refining, cement; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 4.225 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 31%
hydro: 67%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2% (1999 est.)
Electricity - consumption: 4.075 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 146 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit,
vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: tea, coffee, horticultural products,
petroleum products, fish, cement
Exports - partners: Uganda 18%, UK 15%, Tanzania 12%, Pakistan 8%
(1999)
Imports: $3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
petroleum products, iron and steel
Imports - partners: UK 12%, UAE 8%, Japan 8%, US 7% (1999)
Debt - external: $6.2 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $457 million (1997)
Currency: Kenyan shilling (KES)
Currency code: KES
Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 78.733 (December
2000), 76.176 (2000), 70.326 (1999), 60.367 (1998), 58.732 (1997),
57.115 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Kenya Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 290,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 5,345 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to
modernize except for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data
commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 24, FM 8, shortwave 6 (1999)
Radios: 3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (1997)
Televisions: 730,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ke
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000)
Internet users: 45,000 (1999)
Kenya Transportation
Railways: total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge
note: the line connecting Nairobi with the port of Mombasa is the
most important in the country
Highways: total: 63,800 km
paved: 8,868 km
unpaved: 54,932 km (1996)
Waterways: NA
note: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the boundaries of
Kenya
Pipelines: petroleum products 483 km
Ports and harbors: Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,893
GRT/6,255 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 230 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 22
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 208
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 109
under 914 m: 84 (2000 est.)
Kenya Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General
Service Unit of the Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 7,712,402 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
4,774,889 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $197 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY98/99)
Kenya Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: administrative boundary with Sudan does
not coincide with international boundary
Illicit drugs: widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana;
transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North
America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa
======================================================================
@Kingman Reef
Kingman Reef Introduction
Background: The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon
served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa
flights during the late 1930s. There is no flora on the reef, which
is frequently awash, but it does support an abundant and diverse
marine fauna. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef were
designated a National Wildlife Refuge.
Kingman Reef Geography
Location: Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half
of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa
Geographic coordinates: 6 24 N, 162 24 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 1 sq km
land: 1 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Terrain: low and nearly level
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 1 m
Natural resources: terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1996)
Natural hazards: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of
about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: none
Geography - note: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon;
closed to the public
Kingman Reef People
Population: uninhabited (July 2001 est.)
Kingman Reef Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Kingman Reef
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered
from Washington, DC, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service of the
Department of the Interior
note: on 1 September 2000, the Department of the Interior accepted
restoration of its administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef
from the Department of the Navy; Executive Order 3223 signed 18
January 2001 established Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge to be
administered by the Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service; this
refuge is managed to protect the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife of
Kingman Reef out to the twelve nautical mile territorial sea limit
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Kingman Reef Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Kingman Reef Transportation
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and
American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and
1938 (2000 est.)
Kingman Reef Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Kingman Reef Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Kiribati
Kiribati Introduction
Background: The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in
1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of
Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited
Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with
Kiribati.
Kiribati Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia;
note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its
territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group
(GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under
its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line
Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 717 sq km
land: 717 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,143 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 51%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 46% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November
to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands
make them very sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - current issues: heavy pollution in lagoon of south
Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices
such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 20 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean
Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands
in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia,
and Nauru
Kiribati People
Population: 94,149 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.53% (male 19,322; female 18,833)
15-64 years: 56.27% (male 26,136; female 26,841)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 1,291; female 1,726) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.31% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 31.98 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.16 years
male: 57.25 years
female: 63.22 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.36 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups: predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian
Religions: Roman Catholic 54%, Protestant (Congregational) 30%, some
Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of God
(1996)
Languages: English (official), I-Kiribati
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Kiribati Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Government type: republic
Capital: Tarawa
Administrative divisions: 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands; note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba,
Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern
Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the
inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru,
Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei,
Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa,
Teraina)
Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution: 12 July 1979
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Teburoro TITO (since 1
October 1994); Vice President Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October
1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994);
Vice President Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of the House of Assembly, includes the president, vice president,
attorney general, and up to eight other ministers
elections: the House of Assembly chooses the presidential
candidates from among their members and then those candidates
compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote
for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 1998 (next to
be held by NA November 2002); vice president appointed by the
president
election results: Teburoro TITO reelected president; percent of
vote - Teburoro TITO 52.3%, Dr. Harry TONG 45.8%, Amberoti NIKORA
1.9%, Taberannang TIMEON 0%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni
Maungatabu (41 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio
member, and one nominated to represent Banaba; members serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 23 September 1998 (next to be held by NA
September 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Maneaban Te Mauri Party 14, National Progressive Party 11,
independents 14
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates'
courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: Maneaban Te Mauri Party [Teburoro
TITO]; National Progressive Party [Teatao TEANNAKI]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties
in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
structures
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU,
WHO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Kiribati does not have an
embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is
accredited to Kiribati
Flag description: the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird
flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with
three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Kiribati Economy
Economy - overview: A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls,
Kiribati has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate
deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in
1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and
exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic
development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak
infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism
provides more than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an
early stage of development as is the expansion of private sector
initiatives. Foreign financial aid, largely from the UK and Japan,
is a critical supplement to GDP, equal to 25%-50% of GDP in recent
years. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5
million each year. Performance in 2000 fell short of the 2.5% growth
in 1999, which benefited from increased copra production and
exceptionally large revenues from fishing licenses.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $76 million (2000 est.), supplemented
by a nearly equal amount from external sources
GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $850 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14%
industry: 7%
services: 79% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence
farmers (1985 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $33.3 million
expenditures: $47.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
million (1996 est.)
Industries: fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1992 est.)
Electricity - production: 7 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes,
vegetables; fish
Exports: $6 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners: Bangladesh, Australia, US, Hong Kong (1999)
Imports: $44 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment,
miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Imports - partners: Australia, Fiji, Japan, NZ, China (1999)
Debt - external: $10 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $15.5 million (1995), largely from UK and
Japan
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code: AUD
Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January
2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997),
1.2773 (1996)
Fiscal year: NA
Kiribati Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative
Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 17,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ki
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Kiribati Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 670 km (1996)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands)
Ports and harbors: Banaba, Betio, English Harbor, Kanton
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291
GRT/1,295 DWT
ships by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 21 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Kiribati Military
Military branches: no regular military forces; Police Force (carries
out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police
posts are on all islands)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: Kiribati does not have military forces; defense
assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
Kiribati Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Korea, North
Korea, North Introduction
Background: Following World War II, Korea was split into a northern,
communist half and a southern, Western-oriented half. KIM Chong-il
has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder,
president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement,
the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its
population, while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army
of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and
research into nuclear and chemical weapons are of major concern to
the international community.
Korea, North Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula
bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and
South Korea
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 127 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 120,540 sq km
land: 120,410 sq km
water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries: total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Coastline: 2,495 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
note: military boundary line 50 NM in the Sea of Japan and the
exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign
vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow
valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite,
iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 61%
other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 14,600 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe
flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies
of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion
and degradation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of
the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea,
and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Korea, North People
Population: 21,968,228 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.52% (male 2,873,390; female 2,733,163)
15-64 years: 67.63% (male 7,301,531; female 7,556,554)
65 years and over: 6.85% (male 486,805; female 1,016,785) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.22% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 19.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.92 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 23.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.02 years
male: 68.04 years
female: 74.15 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.26 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese
community and a few ethnic Japanese
Religions: traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian
and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom
Languages: Korean
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1990 est.)
Korea, North Government
Country name: conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic
of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form: none
note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to
their country
abbreviation: DPRK
Government type: authoritarian socialist; one-man dictatorship
Capital: P'yongyang
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and
3 special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang
Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo
(South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province),
Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong
City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City),
P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South
P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do
(Yanggang Province)
Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday: Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Constitution: adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972,
revised again in April 1992 and September 1998
Legal system: based on German civil law system with Japanese
influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: KIM Chong-il (since NA July
1994); note - in September 1998, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman
of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's
"highest administrative authority"; KIM Yong-nam was named President
of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the
responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic
credentials
head of government: Premier HONG Song-nam (since 5 September 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of
People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly
elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly;
election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA)
election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme
People's Assembly vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego
Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 July 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without
opposition; minor parties hold a few seats
Judicial branch: Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme
People's Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong,
chairwoman]; Korean Social Democratic Party [KIM Pyong-sik,
chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il,
General Secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ARF (dialogue partner),
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - North Korea has a
Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, headed by YI Hyong-chol
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (Swedish Embassy in
P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple
width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side
of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star
Korea, North Economy
Economy - overview: North Korea, one of the world's most centrally
planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions.
Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of
years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. The nation faces
its seventh year of food shortages because of weather-related
problems, including major drought in 2000, and chronic shortages of
fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have
allowed the regime to escape the major consequence of spreading
economic failure, such as mass starvation, but the population
remains vulnerable to prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating
living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources
needed for expanding investment and consumption goods. In 2000, the
regime placed emphasis on expanding foreign trade links, embracing
modern technology, and attracting foreign investment, but in no way
at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national
assets or undergoing market-oriented reforms.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $22 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 42%
services: 28% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation: agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: military products; machine building, electric power,
chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper,
zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food
processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 28.6 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 34.62%
hydro: 65.38%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 26.598 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses;
cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Exports: $520 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: minerals, metallurgical products,
manufactures (including armaments); agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners: Japan 28%, South Korea 21%, China 5%, Germany
4%, Russia 1% (1995)
Imports: $960 million (c.i.f., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and
equipment; consumer goods, grain
Imports - partners: China 33%, Japan 17%, Russia 5%, South Korea 4%,
Germany 3% (1995)
Debt - external: $12 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - an estimated $200 million to
$300 million in humanitarian aid from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU
in 1997 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental
organizations; substantial continuing humanitarian aid, 1998-2000
Currency: North Korean won (KPW)
Currency code: KPW
Exchange rates: official: North Korean won per US dollar - 2.15 (May
1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990),
2.3 (December 1989); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 200
Fiscal year: calendar year
Korea, North Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.1 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections
through Moscow and Beijing
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)
Radios: 3.36 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 38 (1999)
Televisions: 1.2 million (1997)
Internet country code: .kp
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Korea, North Transportation
Railways: total: 5,000 km
standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified; 159
km double track)
narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge
dual gauge: 240 km 1.435-m and 1.600-m gauges (four rails
interlaced) (1996 est.)
Highways: total: 31,200 km
paved: 1,997 km
unpaved: 29,203 km (1996)
Waterways: 2,253 km
note: mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines: crude oil 37 km; petroleum product 180 km
Ports and harbors: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek,
Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi),
Ungsang, Wonsan
Merchant marine: total: 110 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
661,792 GRT/903,367 DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 94, combination bulk 1,
multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo
1, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1, short-sea passenger 2
(2000 est.)
Airports: 87 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 39
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 48
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)
Korea, North Military
Military branches: Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air
Force), Civil Security Forces
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,943,735 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
3,574,050 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 179,136
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.7 billion to $4.9 billion
(FY98 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 25% to 33% (FY98 est.)
Korea, North Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: 33-km section of boundary with China in
the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; Demarcation Line with
South Korea
======================================================================
@Korea, South
Korea, South Introduction
Background: After World War II, a republic was set up in the
southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a communist-style
government was installed in the north. The Korean War (1950-53) had
US and other UN forces intervene to defend South Korea from North
Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in
1953 splitting the peninsula at the 38th parallel known as the DMZ.
Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with per
capita income rising to 13 times the level of North Korea. In 1997,
the nation suffered a severe financial crisis from which it
continues to make a solid recovery. South Korea has also maintained
its commitment to democratize its political processes. In June 2000,
a historic first south-north summit took place between the south's
President KIM Dae-jung and the north's leader KIM Chong-il. In
December 2000, President KIM Dae-jung won the Noble Peace Prize for
his lifeling committment to democracy and human rights in Asia. He
is the first Korean to win a Nobel Prize.
Korea, South Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula
bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 98,480 sq km
land: 98,190 sq km
water: 290 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 238 km
border countries: North Korea 238 km
Coastline: 2,413 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the Korea Strait
Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain: mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and
south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead,
hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 65%
other: 13% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 13,350 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;
low-level seismic activity common in southwest
Environment - current issues: air pollution in large cities; acid
rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial
effluents; drift net fishing
Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Korea, South People
Population: 47,904,370 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.59% (male 5,475,453; female 4,864,918)
15-64 years: 71.14% (male 17,291,202; female 16,789,380)
65 years and over: 7.27% (male 1,352,312; female 2,131,105) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.89% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 14.85 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.93 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.65 years
male: 70.97 years
female: 78.74 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,800 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 180 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions: Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%, Shamanist,
Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%
Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high
school
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99.3%
female: 96.7% (1995 est.)
Korea, South Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Korea
conventional short form: South Korea
local long form: Taehan-min'guk
local short form: none
note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han-guk" to refer
to their country
abbreviation: ROK
Government type: republic
Capital: Seoul
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and
7 metropolitan cities* (gwangyoksi, singular and plural); Cheju-do,
Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo,
Inch'on-gwangyoksi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi*, Kyonggi-do,
Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi*,
Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-gwangyoksi*, Taejon-gwangyoksi*,
Ulsan-gwangyoksi*
Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
Constitution: 25 February 1988
Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law
systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President KIM Dae-jung (since 25
February 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister YI Han-tong (since 23 May 2000)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year
term; election last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by 18
December 2002); prime minister appointed by the president; deputy
prime ministers appointed by the president on the prime minister's
recommendation
election results: KIM Dae-jung elected president; percent of vote -
KIM Dae-jung (NCNP) 40.3% (with ULD partnership), YI Hoe-chang (GNP)
38.7%, YI In-che (NPP) 19.2%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (273
seats total - 227 elected by direct, popular vote; members serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 13 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
GNP 133, MDP 115, ULD 17, other 8
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices are appointed by the
president with the consent of the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Grand National Party or GNP [YI
Hoe-chang, president]; Millennium Democratic Party or MDP [KIM
Dae-jung, president]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM
Chong-p'il, honorary chairman, KIM Chong-ho, acting president]
note: on 20 January 2000, the National Congress for New Politics or
NCNP was renamed the Millennium Democratic Party or MDP
Political pressure groups and leaders: Federation of Korean
Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Confederation
of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of Churches; Korean Traders
Association; Korean Veterans' Association; National Council of Labor
Unions; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation
of Farmers' Associations; National Federation of Student Associations
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CCC,
CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
YANG Song-chol
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205
consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and
Seattle
consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
embassy: 82 Sejong-ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul 110-710
mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-0001
telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845
Flag description: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in
the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I
Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field
Korea, South Economy
Economy - overview: As one of the Four Dragons of East Asia, South
Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth. Three decades ago
GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of
Africa and Asia. Today its GDP per capita is seven times India's, 16
times North Korea's, and comparable to the lesser economies of the
European Union. This success through the late 1980s was achieved by
a system of close government/business ties, including directed
credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and
a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw
materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and
encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian
financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed certain longstanding weaknesses
in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity
ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial
sector. By 1999 GDP growth had recovered, reversing the substantial
decline of 1998. Seoul has pressed the country's largest business
groups to restructure and to strengthen their financial base. Growth
in 2001 likely will be a more sustainable rate of 5%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $764.6 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $16,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.6%
industry: 41.4%
services: 53% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.9%
highest 10%: 24.3% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2000)
Labor force: 22 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: services 68%, industry 20%, agriculture
12% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $81.8 billion
expenditures: $94.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.1
billion (1999)
Industries: electronics, automobile production, chemicals,
shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: 17% (2000)
Electricity - production: 250.287 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 59.22%
hydro: 1.64%
nuclear: 39.12%
other: 0.02% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 232.767 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit;
cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: $172.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: electronic products, machinery and equipment,
motor vehicles, steel, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish
Exports - partners: US 20.5%, Japan 11%, China 9.5%, Hong Kong 6.3%,
Taiwan 4.4% (1999)
Imports: $160.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery, electronics and electronic
equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic
chemicals, grains
Imports - partners: US 20.8%, Japan 20.2%, China 7.4%, Saudi Arabia
4.7%, Australia 3.9% (1999)
Debt - external: $137 billion (November 2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: South Korean won (KRW)
Currency code: KRW
Exchange rates: South Korean won per US dollar - 1,271.89 (January
2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82 (1999), 1,401.44 (1998), 951.29
(1997), 804.45 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Korea, South Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 24 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 27 million (June 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and
international services
domestic: NA
international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; the
Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat
(Pacific Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 106, FM 97, shortwave 6 (1999)
Radios: 47.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 121 (plus 850 repeater stations and
the eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1999)
Televisions: 15.9 million (1997)
Internet country code: .kr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000)
Internet users: 15.3 million (2000)
Korea, South Transportation
Railways: total: 6,240 km
standard gauge: 6,240 km 1.435-m gauge (525 km electrified) (1998
est.)
Highways: total: 87,534 km
paved: 65,388 km (including 1,996 km of expressways)
unpaved: 22,146 km (1999)
Waterways: 1,609 km
note: restricted to small native craft
Pipelines: petroleum products 455 km; note - additionally, there is
a parallel petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being
completed
Ports and harbors: Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang,
Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu
Merchant marine: total: 496 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
5,421,993 GRT/8,757,034 DWT
ships by type: bulk 105, cargo 168, chemical tanker 38, combination
bulk 5, container 49, liquefied gas 16, multi-functional large-load
carrier 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 70, refrigerated cargo 27,
roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 4,
vehicle carrier 5 (2000 est.)
Airports: 102 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 68
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 203 (2000 est.)
Korea, South Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National
Maritime Police (Coast Guard)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,148,552 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
8,979,778 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 394,397
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12 billion (2000)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.2% (FY98/99)
Korea, South Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Demarcation Line with North Korea;
Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with Japan
======================================================================
@Kuwait
Kuwait Introduction
Background: Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August
1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led UN
coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that completely
liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait has spent more than $5 billion
to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.
Kuwait Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and
Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 N, 45 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 464 km
border countries: Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 8%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 92% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to
April; they bring inordinate amounts of rain which can damage roads
and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year,
but are most common between March and August
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination
facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution;
desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Climate Change,
Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine
Dumping
Geography - note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
Kuwait People
Population: 2,041,961
note: includes 1,159,913 non-nationals (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.76% (male 299,080; female 288,125)
15-64 years: 68.82% (male 897,839; female 507,527)
65 years and over: 2.42% (male 31,843; female 17,547) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.38% (2001 est.)
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of
expatriates
Birth rate: 21.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 2.45 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 14.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.51 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.27 years
male: 75.42 years
female: 77.15 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.12% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti
Ethnic groups: Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian
4%, other 7%
Religions: Muslim 85% (Sunni 45%, Shi'a 40%), Christian, Hindu,
Parsi, and other 15%
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.6%
male: 82.2%
female: 74.9% (1995 est.)
Kuwait Government
Country name: conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
Government type: nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kuwait
Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli
Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 25 February (1950)
Constitution: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in
personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more
or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male
descendants at age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996,
naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but
have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the
first time
Executive branch: chief of state: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al
Sabah (since 31 December 1977)
head of government: Prime Minister and Crown Prince SAAD
al-Abdallah al-Salim Al Sabah (since 8 February 1978); First Deputy
Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 17 October
1992); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamud Al Sabah (since
NA) and MUHAMMAD KHALID al-Hamed Al Sabah (since NA)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and
approved by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and
deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma
(50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 July 1999 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 50;
note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the
National Assembly
Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: none; formation of political parties
is illegal
Political pressure groups and leaders: several political groups act
as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists,
and secular leftists and nationalists
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant)
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James A. LAROCCO
embassy: Bayan, near the Bayan palace, Kuwait City
mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait Unit
69000, APO AE 09880-9000
telephone: [965] 539-5307
FAX: [965] 538-0282
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
Kuwait Economy
Economy - overview: Kuwait is a small, relatively open economy with
proved crude oil reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world
reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 90% of export
revenues, and 75% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits
agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish,
it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water
must be distilled or imported. Higher oil prices put the FY99/00
budget into a $2 billion surplus. The FY00/01 budget covers only
nine months because of a change in the fiscal year. The budget for
FY01/02, which begins 1 April, contains higher expenditures for
salaries, construction, and other general categories. Kuwait
continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop
fields in the northern part of the country.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $29.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0%
industry: 55%
services: 45% (1996)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000)
Labor force: 1.3 million (1998 est.)
note: 68% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(July 1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 1.8% (official 1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $11.5 billion
expenditures: $17.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY01/02)
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food
processing, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 31.567 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 29.357 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: practically no crops; fish
Exports: $23.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: oil and refined products, fertilizers
Exports - partners: Japan 23%, US 12%, Singapore 8%, Netherlands 7%
(1999)
Imports: $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: food, construction materials, vehicles and
parts, clothing
Imports - partners: US 15%, Japan 10%, UK 7%, Germany 7% (1999)
Debt - external: $6.9 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $27.6 million (1995)
Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)
Currency code: KWD
Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.3057 (January
2001), 0.3067 (2000), 0.3044 (1999), 0.3047 (1998), 0.3033 (1997),
0.2994 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Kuwait Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 412,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 210,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: the quality of service is
excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new
subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, open wire, and fiber-optic cable; a cellular
telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well
supplied with pay telephones
international: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi
Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG)
cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2
Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 1.175 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 13 (plus several satellite channels)
(1997)
Televisions: 875,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .kw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 100,000 (2000)
Kuwait Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,590 km
unpaved: 860 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas
165 km
Ports and harbors: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd
Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud
Merchant marine: total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
2,461,072 GRT/3,966,645 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 6, container 6, liquefied gas 7,
livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 20 (2000 est.)
Airports: 8 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 3 (2000 est.)
Kuwait Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force,
National Guard, Coast Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 780,559 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
466,521 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 18,309
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.9 billion (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 8.7% (FY00/01)
Kuwait Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: in November 1994, Iraq formally accepted
the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in
Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993);
this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and
Warbah islands
======================================================================
@Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Introduction
Background: A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and
proud nomadic traditions, Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864;
it achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Current
concerns include: privatization of state-owned enterprises,
expansion of democracy and political freedoms, inter-ethnic
relations, and terrorism.
Kyrgyzstan Geography
Location: Central Asia, west of China
Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 75 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 198,500 sq km
land: 191,300 sq km
water: 7,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries: total: 3,878 km
border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870
km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in
southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
Terrain: peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins
encompass entire nation
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Kara-Darya 132 m
highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m
Natural resources: abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold
and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural
gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc
Land use: arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 44%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 45% (1993 est.)
note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural growth walnut
forest
Irrigated land: 9,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: water pollution; many people get their
water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result,
water-borne diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from
faulty irrigation practices
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked
Kyrgyzstan People
Population: 4,753,003 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.03% (male 841,029; female 823,723)
15-64 years: 58.83% (male 1,369,842; female 1,426,522)
65 years and over: 6.14% (male 110,340; female 181,547) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.44% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 26.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 9.13 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 76.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.46 years
male: 59.2 years
female: 67.94 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.19 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)
adjective: Kyrgyzstani
Ethnic groups: Kirghiz 52.4%, Russian 18%, Uzbek 12.9%, Ukrainian
2.5%, German 2.4%, other 11.8%
Religions: Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%
Languages: Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) - official language, Russian - official
language
note: in May 2000, the Kyrgyzstani legislature made Russian an
official language, equal in status to Kirghiz
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 99%
female: 96% (1989 est.)
Kyrgyzstan Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Bishkek
Administrative divisions: 7 oblastlar (singular - oblast) and 1
city* (singular - shaar); Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy
Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty,
Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence: 31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by
President AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 10 February
1996 significantly expands the powers of the president at the
expense of the legislature
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Askar AKAYEV (since 28
October 1990)
head of government: Prime Minister Kurmanbek BAKIYEV (since 22
December 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year
term; elections last held 29 October 2000 (next to be held November
or December 2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Askar AKAYEV reelected president; percent of vote
- Askar AKAYEV 74%, Omurbek TEKEBAYEV 14%, other candidates 12%;
note - election marred by serious irregularities
Legislative branch: bicameral Supreme Council or Zhogorku Kenesh
consists of the Assembly of People's Representatives (70 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and
the Legislative Assembly (35 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Assembly of People's Representatives - last held 20
February and 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA February 2005);
Legislative Assembly - last held 20 February and 12 March 2000 (next
to be held NA February 2005)
election results: Assembly of People's Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; percent of vote by party - NA; and Legislative
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note
- total seats by party in the Supreme Council were as follows: Union
of Democratic Forces 12, Communists 6, My Country Party of Action 4,
independents 73, other 10
note: the legislature became bicameral for the 5 February 1995
elections; the 2000 election results include both the Assembly of
People's Representatives and the Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed for 10-year
terms by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the
president); Constitutional Court; Higher Court of Arbitration
Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Labor Party of Kyrgyzstan
[Uson S. SYDYKOV]; Agrarian Party of Kyrgyzstan [Arkin ALIYEV];
Ata-Meken Socialist Party or Fatherland [Onurbek TEKEBAYEV]; Banner
National Revival Party or ASABA [Chaprashty BAZARBAY]; Democratic
Movement of Kyrgyzstan or DDK [Jypar JEKSHEYEV]; Democratic Women's
Party of Kyrgyzstan [T. A. SHAILIYEVA]; Dignity Party [Feliks
KULOV]; Erkin Kyrgyzstan Progressive and Democratic Party [Tursunbay
Bakir UULU]; Justice Party [Chingiz AYTMATOV]; Movement for the
People's Salvation [Jumgalbek AMAMBAYEV]; Mutual Help Movement or
Ashar [Jumagazy USUPOV]; My Country of Action [Almazbek ISMANKULOV];
National Unity Democratic Movement or DDNE [Yury RAZGULYAYEV]; Party
of Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Absamat M. MASALIYEV]; Party of
the Veterans of the War in Afghanistan [leader NA]; Peasant Party
[leader NA]; People's Party [Melis ESHIMKANOV]; Poor and Unprotected
People's Party [Daniyar USENOV]; Republican Popular Party of
Kyrgyzstan [J. SHARSHENALIYEV]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [J.
IBRAMOV]; Union of Democratic Forces (composed of Social Democratic
Party of Kyrgyzstan or PSD [J. IBRAMOV], Economic Revival Party, and
Birimdik Party
Political pressure groups and leaders: Council of Free Trade Unions;
Kyrgyz Committee on Human Rights [Ramazan DYRYIDAYEV]; National
Unity Democratic Movement; Union of Entrepreneurs
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Bakyt ABDRISAYEV
chancery: 1732 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 338-5141
FAX: [1] (202) 338-5139
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John M. O'KEEFE
embassy: 171 Prospect Mira, 720016 Bishkek
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217
FAX: [996] (312) 551-264
Flag description: red field with a yellow sun in the center having
40 rays representing the 40 Kirghiz tribes; on the obverse side the
rays run counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center
of the sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a
stylized representation of the roof of the traditional Kirghiz yurt
Kyrgyzstan Economy
Economy - overview: Kyrgyzstan is a small, poor, mountainous country
with a predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, wool, and meat
are the main agricultural products and exports. Industrial exports
include gold, mercury, uranium, and electricity. Kyrgyzstan has been
one of the most progressive countries of the former Soviet Union in
carrying out market reforms. Following a successful stabilization
program, which lowered inflation from 88% in 1994 to 15% for 1997,
attention is turning toward stimulating growth. Much of the
government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production
had been severe since the breakup of the Soviet Union in December
1991, but by mid-1995 production began to recover and exports began
to increase. Pensioners, unemployed workers, and government workers
with salary arrears continue to suffer. Foreign assistance played a
substantial role in the country's economic turnaround in 1996-97.
Growth was held down to 2.1% in 1998 largely because of the
spillover from Russia's economic difficulties, but moved ahead to
3.6% in 1999 and an estimated 5.7% in 2000. The government has
adopted a series of measures to combat such persistent problems as
excessive external debt, inflation, and inadequate revenue
collection.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.6 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.7% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 39%
industry: 22%
services: 39% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 51% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.7%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18.7% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.7 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 55%, industry 15%, services
30% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $207.4 million
expenditures: $238.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement,
shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold,
rare earth metals
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 12.981 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 6.67%
hydro: 93.33%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 10.236 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 2.02 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 184 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables,
grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool
Exports: $482 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury,
uranium, hydropower; machinery; shoes
Exports - partners: Germany 33%, Russia 16%, Kazakhstan 10%,
Uzbekistan 10%, China 6% (1999)
Imports: $579 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: oil and gas, machinery and equipment,
foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Russia 18%, Kazakhstan 12%, US 9%, Germany 8%,
Uzbekistan 8%, China (1999)
Debt - external: $1.4 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $329.4 million (1995)
Currency: Kyrgyzstani som (KGS)
Currency code: KGS
Exchange rates: soms per US dollar - 48.701 (January 2001), 47.704
(2000), 39.008 (1999), 20.838 (1998), 17.362 (1997), 12.810 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Kyrgyzstan Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 351,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: poorly developed; about
100,000 unsatisfied applications for household telephones
domestic: principally microwave radio relay; one cellular provider,
probably limited to Bishkek region
international: connections with other CIS countries by landline or
microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections
with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat; connected
internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 14,
shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 520,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: NA (repeater stations throughout the
country relay programs from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and
Turkey) (1997)
Televisions: 210,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .kg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: 10,000 (2000)
Kyrgyzstan Transportation
Railways: total: 370 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 370 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)
Highways: total: 18,500 km (including 140 km of expressways)
paved: 16,854 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and
include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are
surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them
trafficable in all weather)
unpaved: 1,646 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and
are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1996)
Waterways: 600 km (1990)
Pipelines: natural gas 200 km
Ports and harbors: Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)
Airports: 50 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 46
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.)
Kyrgyzstan Military
Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense, Security Forces,
Border Troops
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,203,001 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
975,744 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 50,590
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY99)
Kyrgyzstan Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: territorial dispute with Tajikistan on
southwestern boundary in Isfara Valley area; periodic target of
Islamic insurgents from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan
Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium
poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication
program; increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs
to Russia and Western Europe from Southwest Asia
======================================================================
@Laos
Laos Introduction
Background: In 1975 the communist Pathet Lao took control of the
government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties
to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to
private enterprise, an easing of foreign investment laws, and the
admission into ASEAN in 1997.
Laos Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Utah
Land boundaries: total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km,
Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry
season (December to April)
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Land use: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 40% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)
note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation
- 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: floods, droughts, and blight
Environment - current issues: unexploded ordnance; deforestation;
soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to
potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked
Laos People
Population: 5,635,967 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.75% (male 1,212,577; female 1,196,795)
15-64 years: 53.94% (male 1,494,927; female 1,544,851)
65 years and over: 3.31% (male 85,632; female 101,185) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.48% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.48 years
male: 51.58 years
female: 55.44 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 130 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian
Ethnic groups: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao
Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%,
ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Religions: Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%
Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic
languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57%
male: 70%
female: 44% (1999 est.)
Laos Government
Country name: conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic
Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Vientiane
Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and
plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and
1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo,
Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha,
Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet,
Viangchan*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France)
National holiday: Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Constitution: promulgated 14 August 1991
Legal system: based on traditional customs, French legal norms and
procedures, and Socialist practice
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphandon
(since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI
Saignason (since NA March 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since NA
March 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers THONGLOUN Sisolit (since NA
March 2001), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held
NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president with the
approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term
election results: KHAMTAI Siphandon elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (99 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - by
presidential decree, on 27 October 1997, the number of seats
increased from 85 to 99)
elections: last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 99
Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court (the president of the
People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the
recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice
president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed
by the National Assembly Standing Committee)
Political parties and leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party or
LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders: noncommunist political groups
proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
International organization participation: ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
VANG Rattanavong
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant); Charge d'Affairs Karen Brevard STEWART
embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane
mailing address: American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546
telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585
FAX: [856] (21) 212584
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double
width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
Laos Economy
Economy - overview: The government of Laos - one of the few
remaining official communist states - began decentralizing control
and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting
from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 7%
during 1988-97. Reform efforts subsequently slowed, and GDP growth
dropped an average of 3 percentage points. Because Laos depends
heavily on its trade with Thailand, it was damaged by the regional
financial crisis beginning in 1997. Government mismanagement
deepened the crisis, and from June 1997 to June 1999 the Lao kip
lost 87% of its value. Laos' foreign exchange problems peaked in
September 1999 when the kip fell from 3,500 kip to the dollar to
9,000 kip to the dollar in a matter of weeks. Now that the currency
has stabilized, however, the government seems content to let the
current situation persist, despite limited government revenue and
foreign exchange reserves. A landlocked country with a primitive
infrastructure, Laos has no railroads, a rudimentary road system,
and limited external and internal telecommunications. Electricity is
available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture
accounts for half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. For
the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend on aid
from the IMF and other international sources; Japan is currently the
largest bilateral aid donor; aid from the former USSR/Eastern Europe
has been cut sharply.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 51%
industry: 22%
services: 27% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 46.1% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
4.2%
highest 10%: 26.4% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 33% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1 million - 1.5 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.7% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $211 million
expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY98/99 est.)
Industries: tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power,
agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 792 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.78%
hydro: 97.22%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 173.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 705 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 142 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee,
sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs,
cattle, poultry
Exports: $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: wood products, garments, electricity, coffee,
tin
Exports - partners: Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium
Imports: $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel
Imports - partners: Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong
Kong
Debt - external: $2.46 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $345 million (1999 est.)
Currency: kip (LAK)
Currency code: LAK
Exchange rates: kips per US dollar - 7,578.00 (December 2000),
7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Laos Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 25,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,915 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: service to general public is
poor but improving, with over 20,000 telephones currently in service
and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on
a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 730,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (1999)
Televisions: 52,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .la
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Laos Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 14,000 km
paved: 3,360 km
unpaved: 10,640 km (1991)
Waterways: 4,587 km approximately
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are
intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
Pipelines: petroleum products 136 km
Ports and harbors: none
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370
GRT/3,000 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 51 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 43
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.)
Laos Military
Military branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine
element), Air Force, National Police Department
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,319,537 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
710,627 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 64,437
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $55 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.2% (FY96/97)
Laos Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: parts of the border with Thailand are
indefinite
Illicit drugs: world's third-largest illicit opium producer
(estimated cultivation in 1999 - 21,800 hectares, a 16% decrease
over 1998; estimated potential production in 1999 - 140 metric tons,
about the same as in 1998); potential heroin producer; transshipment
point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit
producer of cannabis
======================================================================
@Latvia
Latvia Introduction
Background: After a brief period of independence between the two
World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished
its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the
Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to
Moscow. Latvia continues to revamp its economy for eventual
integration into various Western European political and economic
institutions.
Latvia Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia
and Lithuania
Geographic coordinates: 57 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 64,589 sq km
land: 64,589 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 1,150 km
border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km,
Russia 217 km
Coastline: 531 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters
Terrain: low plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
Natural resources: minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite,
hydropower, arable land
Land use: arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 160 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: air and water pollution because of a
lack of waste conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga and Daugava River
heavily polluted; contamination of soil and groundwater with
chemicals and petroleum products at military bases
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Latvia People
Population: 2,385,231 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.55% (male 201,746; female 193,036)
15-64 years: 68.15% (male 776,509; female 848,908)
65 years and over: 15.3% (male 118,110; female 246,922) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.81% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 8.03 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.7 years
male: 62.8 years
female: 74.9 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.15 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.11% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,250 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Latvian(s)
adjective: Latvian
Ethnic groups: Latvian 56.5%, Russian 30.4%, Byelorussian 4.3%,
Ukrainian 2.8%, Polish 2.6%, other 3.4%
Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Languages: Latvian or Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 99% (1989 est.)
Latvia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Latvia
conventional short form: Latvia
local long form: Latvijas Republika
local short form: Latvija
former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Riga
Administrative divisions: 26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7
municipalities*: Aizkraukles Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons,
Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons, Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles
Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons, Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas
Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Leipaja*,
Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons, Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons,
Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons, Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas
Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons,
Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*, Ventspils Rajons
Independence: 18 November 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18
November 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 18
November 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution: the 1991 Constitutional Law which supplements the 1922
constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Executive branch: chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA
(since 8 July 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Andris BERZINS (since 5 May 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
appointed by the Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 17 June 1999 (next to be held by NA June 2003);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA elected as a compromise
candidate in second phase of balloting, second round (after five
rounds in first phase failed); percent of parliamentary vote - Vaira
VIKE-FREIBERGA 53%, Valdis BIRKAVS 20%, Ingrida UDRE 9%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held NA October
2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - People's Party 21%, LC
18%, TSP 14%, TB/LNNK 14%, Social Democrats 13%, New Party 7%; seats
by party - People's Party 24, LC 21, TB/LNNK 17, TSP 16, Social
Democrats 14, New Party 8
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed
by Parliament)
Political parties and leaders: Anticommunist Union or PA [P.
MUCENIEKS]; Christian Democrat Union or LKDS [Talavs JUNDZIS];
Christian People's Party or KTP [Uldis AUGSTKALNS]; Democratic Party
"Saimnieks" or DPS [Ziedonis CEVERS, chairman]; For Fatherland and
Freedom or TB [Maris GRINBLATS], merged with LNNK; For Human Rights
in a United Latvia [Janis JURKANS], a coalition of the People's
Harmony Party or TSP, the Latvian Socialist Party or LSP, and the
Equal Rights Movement; Green Party or LZP [Olegs BATAREVSKI];
Latvian Liberal Party or LLP [J. DANOSS]; Latvian National
Conservative Party or LNNK [Andrejs KRASTINS]; Latvian National
Democratic Party or LNDP [A. MALINS]; Latvian Social-Democratic
Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDWU [Juris BOJARS and Janis
ADAMSONS, leaders]; Latvian Unity Party or LVP [Alberis KAULS];
Latvia's Way or LC [Andrei PANTELEJEVS]; New Christian Party [Ainars
SLESERS]; New Faction [Ingrida UDRE]; "Our Land" or MZ [M.
DAMBEKALNE]; Party of Russian Citizens or LKPP [V. SOROCHIN, V.
IVANOV]; People's Party [Andris SKELE]; Political Union of
Economists or TPA [Edvins KIDE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Aivis RONIS
chancery: 4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-8213, 8214
FAX: [1] (202) 726-6785
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James H. HOLMES
embassy: Raina Boulevard 7, LV-1510, Riga
mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE
09723
telephone: [371] 721-0005
FAX: [371] 782-0047
Flag description: three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white
(half-width), and maroon
Latvia Economy
Economy - overview: In 2000, Latvia's transitional economy recovered
from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the SKELE
government's budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of
exports toward EU countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on
Russia. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in
February 1999 - the first Baltic state to join - and was invited at
the Helsinki EU Summit in December 1999 to begin accession talks in
early 2000. Unemployment fell to 7.8% in 2000, down from 9.6% in
1999, and 9.2% in 1998. Privatization of large state-owned utilities
and the shipping industry faced more delays in 2000, and political
instability will continue to delay completion of the privatization
process over the next year. Latvia projects 6% GDP growth, 2.5%-3.0%
inflation, and a 1.7% fiscal deficit in 2001. Preparing for EU
membership over the next few years remains a top foreign policy goal.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 33%
services: 62% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.9%
highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2000)
Labor force: 1.4 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services
65% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.8% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.33 billion
expenditures: $1.27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers,
agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios,
electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note -
dependent on imports for energy, raw materials, and intermediate
products
Industrial production growth rate: 6.3% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.996 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 31.78%
hydro: 68.22%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 4.316 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 400 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 1 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables;
beef, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: wood and wood products, machinery and
equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners: Germany 16%, UK 11%, Sweden 11%, Russia 7% (1999)
Imports: $3.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels
Imports - partners: Russia 15%, Germany 10%, Finland 9%, Sweden 7%
(1999)
Debt - external: $800 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $96.2 million (1995)
Currency: Latvian lat (LVL)
Currency code: LVL
Exchange rates: lati per US dollar - 0.614 (January 2001), 0.607
(2000), 0.585 (1999), 0.590 (1998), 0.581 (1997), 0.551 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Latvia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 748,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 77,100 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate, but is being
modernized to provide an international capability independent of the
Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for
individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections,
rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied
subscriber applications
international: international connections are now available via
cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct
connections for most calls (1998)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 1.76 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 1.22 million (1997)
Internet country code: .lv
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 42 (2000)
Internet users: 234,000 (2000)
Latvia Transportation
Railways: total: 2,412 km
broad gauge: 2,379 km 1.520-m gauge (271 km electrified) (1992)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (1994)
Highways: total: 59,178 km
paved: 22,843 km
unpaved: 36,335 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 300 km (perennially navigable)
Pipelines: crude oil 750 km; refined products 780 km; natural gas
560 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Daugavpils, Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils
Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 27,984
GRT/29,978 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 3
(2000 est.)
Airports: 25 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Latvia Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Security Forces, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 590,784 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
463,944 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 19,114
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $60 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY99)
Latvia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: draft treaty delimiting the boundary with
Russia has not been signed; has not ratified 1998 maritime boundary
agreement with Lithuania (primary concern is oil exploration rights)
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from
Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and
Latin American cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to
CIS; limited production of illicit amphetamine, ephedrine, and
ecstasy for export
======================================================================
@Lebanon
Lebanon Introduction
Background: Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its
political institutions and regaining its national sovereignty since
1991 and the end of the devastating 16-year civil war. Under the
Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the
Lebanese have established a more equitable political system,
particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political
process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the
government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted
several successful elections, most of the militias have been
weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have
extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the
country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons.
Syria maintains about 25,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in
Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop
deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil
war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued
military presence in Lebanon by citing the continued weakness of the
LAF, Beirut's requests, and the failure of the Lebanese Government
to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord.
Israel's withdrawal from its security zone in southern Lebanon in
May of 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and
Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well.
Lebanon Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Israel and Syria
Geographic coordinates: 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries: total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Coastline: 225 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry
summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Terrain: narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in
a water-deficit region, arable land
Land use: arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 8%
other: 64% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land: 860 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and
the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from
raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not
crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically
helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based
on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Lebanon People
Population: 3,627,774 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.57% (male 509,975; female 490,031)
15-64 years: 65.72% (male 1,136,995; female 1,247,184)
65 years and over: 6.71% (male 110,964; female 132,625) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.38% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 20.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.39 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.52 years
male: 69.13 years
female: 74.03 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.09% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese
Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Religions: Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite,
Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian,
Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL%
Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 90.8%
female: 82.2% (1997 est.)
Lebanon Government
Country name: conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan
Government type: republic
Capital: Beirut
Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (mohafazat, singular -
mohafazah); Beyrouth, Ech Chimal, Ej Jnoub, El Bekaa, Jabal Loubnane
Independence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under
French administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Constitution: 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently
Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Taif Accord) of October
1989
Legal system: mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code,
and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for
women at age 21 with elementary education
Executive branch: chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24
November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October
2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National Assembly; the current
Cabinet was formed in 1998
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held
NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the
president in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the
president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni
Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
election results: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly
vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab
(Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected
by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be
held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which
Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian
43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which
Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which
Maronite 34)
Judicial branch: four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil
and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases);
Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on
constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against
the president and prime minister as needed)
Political parties and leaders: political party activity is organized
along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist,
consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated
by religious, clan, and economic considerations
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Dr. Farid ABBOUD
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
David M. SATTERFIELD
embassy: Antelias, Beirut
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Beirut; PSC 815, Box
2, FPO AE 09836-0002
telephone: [961] (4) 543600, 543600
FAX: [961] (4) 544136
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double
width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the
white band
Lebanon Economy
Economy - overview: The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged
Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and
all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and
banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control
in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and
government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially
sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale
manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured
and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of
foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy has made impressive gains since
the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion
reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% per
year in 1996 and 1997 but slowed to 2% in 1998, -1% in 1999, and 1%
in 2000. Annual inflation fell during the course of the 1990s from
more than 100% to 0%, and foreign exchange reserves jumped from $1.4
billion to more than $6 billion. Burgeoning capital inflows have
generated foreign payments surpluses, and the Lebanese pound has
remained very stable for the past two years. Lebanon has rebuilt
much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure.
Solidere, a $2-billion firm, has managed the reconstruction of
Beirut's central business district; the stock market reopened in
January 1996; and international banks and insurance companies are
returning. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in
the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by tapping foreign
exchange reserves and by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic
banks. The newly re-installed HARIRI government's announced policies
fail to address the ever-increasing budgetary deficits and national
debt burden. The gap between rich and poor has widened in the 1990s,
resulting in grassroots dissatisfaction over the skewed distribution
of the reconstruction's benefits.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $18.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12%
industry: 27%
services: 61% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 28% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.3 million (1999 est.)
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers
(1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services NA%, industry NA%, agriculture
NA%
Unemployment rate: 18% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3.31 billion
expenditures: $5.55 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles;
mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil
refining; metal fabricating
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 7.748 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 91.29%
hydro: 8.71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 7.86 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 654 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples,
vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Exports: $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: foodstuffs and tobacco, textiles, chemicals,
precious stones, metal and metal products, electrical equipment and
products, jewelry, paper and paper products
Exports - partners: UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Syria 6%, US 6%, Kuwait
6%, France 5%, Belgium 5%, Jordan 4% (1999)
Imports: $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport
equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, textiles, metals, fuels,
agricultural foods
Imports - partners: Italy 13%, France 11%, Germany 8%, US 7%,
Switzerland 6%, Japan, UK, Syria (1999)
Debt - external: $9.6 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001)
Currency: Lebanese pound (LBP)
Currency code: LBP
Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (January
2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.8 (1999), 1,516.1 (1998), 1,539.5
(1997), 1,571.4 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Lebanon Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 700,000 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 580,000 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: telecommunications system
severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to
Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to
Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 2.85 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 1.18 million (1997)
Internet country code: .lb
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 22 (2000)
Internet users: 227,500 (2000)
Lebanon Transportation
Railways: total: 399 km (mostly unusable because of damage in civil
war)
standard gauge: 317 km 1.435-m
narrow gauge: 82 km (1999)
Highways: total: 7,300 km
paved: 6,350 km
unpaved: 950 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 72 km (none in operation)
Ports and harbors: Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez
Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Merchant marine: total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
379,705 GRT/592,672 DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 42, chemical tanker 1, combination
bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1,
livestock carrier 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2,
vehicle carrier 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Netherlands 1, Syria 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 8 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Lebanon Military
Military branches: Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy,
and Air Force)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 980,412 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
605,332 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $343 million (FY99/00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.8% (FY99/00)
Lebanon Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Syrian troops in northern, central, and
eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese government claims
Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as a part of
Lebanon from which Hizballah conducts cross-border attacks
Illicit drugs: inconsequential producer of hashish; a
Lebanese/Syrian eradication campaign started in the early 1990s has
practically eliminated the opium and cannabis crops
======================================================================
@Lesotho
Lesotho Introduction
Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon
independence from the UK in 1966. Constitutional government was
restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule.
Lesotho Geography
Location: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Orange and
Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Natural resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, some
diamonds and other minerals
Land use: arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 66%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: population pressure forcing settlement
in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and
soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls,
stores, and redirects water to South Africa
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping
Geography - note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
Lesotho People
Population: 2,177,062
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.28% (male 430,147; female 424,994)
15-64 years: 56.03% (male 588,440; female 631,404)
65 years and over: 4.69% (male 43,033; female 59,044) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.49% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 31.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 82.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.84 years
male: 47.97 years
female: 49.74 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.08 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 23.57% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 240,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 16,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Religions: Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83%
male: 72%
female: 93% (1999 est.)
Lesotho Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital: Maseru
Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe,
Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing,
Thaba-Tseka
Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Constitution: 2 April 1993
Legal system: based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law;
judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of
Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February
1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from
November 1990 to February 1995, while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none; according to the constitution, the leader of the
majority party in the assembly automatically becomes prime minister;
the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution
which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is
a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative
powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to
determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as
regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may
even depose the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33
members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the
ruling party) and the Assembly (80 seats; members elected by popular
vote for five-year terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly
rose from 65 to 80 in the May 1998 election; on 28 February 2001,
the Senate approved expansion of the Assembly by a further 50 seats
in the next election, which may be held as early as January 2002
elections: last held 23 May 1998 (next to be held NA March 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 60.7%, BNP 24.5%,
other 14.8%; seats by party - LCD 79, BNP 1
note: results contested; opposition parties claimed the election
was fraudulent and staged a coup; Southern African Development
Community (SADC) forces intervened in September 1998 and restored
order; the Interim Political Authority (IPA) was set up in December
1998 to create a new electoral system and conduct new elections.
Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice appointed by the
monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or
traditional court
Political parties and leaders: Basotho Congress Party or BCP
[Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine
Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Phebe
MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the
governing party; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI];
Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent
MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete Nkoebe
PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU,
NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Lebohang Kenneth MOLEKO
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Katherine H. PETERSON
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 312666
FAX: [266] 310116
Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side
corner; the upper half is white, bearing the brown silhouette of a
large shield with crossed spear and club; the lower half is a
diagonal blue band with a green triangle in the corner
Lesotho Economy
Economy - overview: Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's
primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on
subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners
employed in South Africa. The number of such mineworkers has
declined steadily over the past several years. A small manufacturing
base depends largely on farm products that support the milling,
canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are
exported primarily to South Africa. Proceeds from membership in a
common customs union with South Africa form the majority of
government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural
activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower
facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South
Africa, generating royalties for Lesotho. The pace of substantial
privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the
government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program
aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic
fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a
three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty
Reduction and Growth Facility.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18%
industry: 38%
services: 44% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 49.2% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (1986-87)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 700,000 economically active
Labor force - by occupation: 86% of resident population engaged in
subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners
work in South Africa
Unemployment rate: 45% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $76 million
expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15
million (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction;
tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 15.5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by
South Africa (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 55 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 55 million kWh
note: electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)
Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley;
livestock
Exports: $175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road
vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998)
Exports - partners: South African Customs Union 65%, North America
34% (1998)
Imports: $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: food; building materials, vehicles,
machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995)
Imports - partners: South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998)
Debt - external: $720 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $123.7 million (1995)
Currency: loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Currency code: LSL; ZAR
Exchange rates: maloti per US dollar - 7.78307 (January 2001),
6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997),
4.29935 (1996); note - the Lesotho loti is at par with the South
African rand which is also legal tender; maloti is the plural form
of loti
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Lesotho Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 20,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,262 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio
relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 104,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000)
Televisions: 54,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ls
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Lesotho Transportation
Railways: total: 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included
in the statistics of South Africa
narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Highways: total: 4,955 km
paved: 887 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 29 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.)
Lesotho Military
Military branches: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air
Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 515,464 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
277,369 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $34 million (1999)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: The Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate
on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces,
especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of
intervening in political affairs.
Lesotho Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Liberia
Liberia Introduction
Background: Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in
1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were
held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real
political opposition. The years of fighting coupled with the flight
of most businesses have disrupted formal economic activity. A still
unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of
rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn
country.
Liberia Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Geographic coordinates: 6 30 N, 9 30 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 111,370 sq km
land: 96,320 sq km
water: 15,050 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone
306 km
Coastline: 579 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to
cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling
plateau and low mountains in northeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 59%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(December to March)
Environment - current issues: tropical rain forest subject to
deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of
coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation
Liberia People
Population: 3,225,837 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.21% (male 698,178; female 695,599)
15-64 years: 53.34% (male 840,103; female 880,403)
65 years and over: 3.45% (male 56,073; female 55,481) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.92% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 46.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 16.36 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees, who had fled the
domestic strife, were assumed to have returned
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 132.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.41 years
male: 49.96 years
female: 52.91 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.36 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.8% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 39,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,500 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Liberian(s)
adjective: Liberian
Ethnic groups: indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle,
Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai,
and Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from
the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of
immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Languages: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages,
of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38.3%
male: 53.9%
female: 22.4% (1995 est.)
note: these figures are increasing because of the improving school
system
Liberia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia
Government type: republic
Capital: Monrovia
Administrative divisions: 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa,
Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland,
Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe
Independence: 26 July 1847
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Constitution: 6 January 1986
Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American
common law for the modern sector and customary law based on
unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR
(since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2
August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term
(renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA
July 2003)
election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent
of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF
(UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the
Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year
terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA
2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be
held in NA 2003)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3,
Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note - the Alliance
of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia
Unification Party or LUP
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP
[Lusinee KAMARA]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [Cletus WOTORSON];
Liberian National Union or LINU [Henry MONIBA, chairman]; Liberian
People's Party or LPP [Togba-Nah TIPOTEH, chairman]; National
Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac DAKINAH]; National
Patriotic Party or NPP [Charles Ghankay TAYLOR] - governing party;
People's Progressive Party or PPP [Chea CHEAPOO, chairman];
Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [Henry Boimah FAHNBULLEH,
chairman]; True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN, chairman];
United People's Party or UPP [Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman];
Unity Party or UP [Charles Clarke]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
William BULL
chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437
FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Bismarck MYRICK
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point,
Monrovia
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380
FAX: [231] 226-148
Flag description: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and
bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star
on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was
based on the US flag
Liberia Economy
Economy - overview: A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of
Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around
Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country, taking capital and
expertise with them. Some returned during 1997. Many will not
return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a
climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and
exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly
foreign owned, had been small in scope. The democratically elected
government, installed in August 1997, inherited massive
international debts and currently relies on revenues from its
maritime registry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange
earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of
incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of
sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government,
including the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has
been from a low base, and continued growth will require major policy
successes.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.35 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 15% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 60%
industry: 10%
services: 30% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services
22% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 70%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Electricity - production: 432 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 401.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava
(tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
Exports: $55 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee,
cocoa
Exports - partners: Belgium 53%, Switzerland 9%, US 6%, France 4%
(1999)
Imports: $170 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation
equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: South Korea 30%, Italy 24%, Japan 15%, Germany
9% (1999)
Debt - external: $3 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $200 million pledged (1998)
Currency: Liberian dollar (LRD)
Currency code: LRD
Exchange rates: Liberian dollars per US dollar - 39.8100 (December
2000), 41.0483 (2000), 41.9025 (1999), 41.5075 (1998), 1.0000
(officially fixed rate 1940-97); market exchange rate: Liberian
dollars per US dollar - 40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995)
note: until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship
with the US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market
determined
Fiscal year: calendar year
Liberia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 6,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone and telegraph
service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 4 (1999)
Radios: 790,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus four low-power repeaters)
(2000)
Televisions: 70,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .lr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 300 (2000)
Liberia Transportation
Railways: total: 490 km (328 km single track); note - three rail
systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests
in conjunction with the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco
Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other
two were shut down by the civil war; large sections of the rail
lines have been dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track
was exported for scrap
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways: total: 10,600 km
paved: 657 km
unpaved: 9,943 km
note: (there is major deterioration on all highways due to heavy
rains and lack of maintenance) (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia
Merchant marine: total: 1,478 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
49,456,361 GRT/76,620,648 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 324, cargo 97, chemical tanker
163, combination bulk 20, combination ore/oil 38, container 245,
liquefied gas 97, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger
24, petroleum tanker 310, refrigerated cargo 74, roll on/roll off
19, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 45
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Argentina 8, Australia 1, Ashmore and Cartier
Islands 1, Austria 5, Bermuda 5, Belgium 5, Burma 1, Brazil 8,
Canada 1, China 28, Chile 7, Costa Rica 8, Cyprus 27, Denmark 4,
Ecuador 1, Germany 117, Greece 83, Hong Kong 54, Croatia 9,
Indonesia 2, India 8, Israel 1, Italy 8, Japan 85, South Korea 8,
Latvia 15, Monaco 28, Mexico 6, Malaysia 1, Nigeria 1, Netherlands
7, Norway 86, Netherlands Antilles 1, NZ 1, Poland 2, Portugal 2,
Philippines 1, Russia 22, Saudi Arabia 20, South Africa 1, Slovenia
1, Singapore 30, Spain 1, Sweden 8, Switzerland 23, UAE 5, Taiwan
10, UK 15, US 85, Uruguay 1, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 46 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 44
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)
Liberia Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Navy
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 715,753 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
385,460 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY98)
Liberia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: large refugee population from civil war in
Sierra Leone
Illicit drugs: increasingly a transshipment point for Southeast and
Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European
and US markets
======================================================================
@Libya
Libya Introduction
Background: Since he took power in a 1969 military coup, Col.
Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own political system
- a combination of socialism and Islam - which he calls the Third
International Theory. Viewing himself as a revolutionary leader, he
used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology
outside Libya, even supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to
hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. Libyan military adventures
failed, e.g., the prolonged foray of Libyan troops into the Aozou
Strip in northern Chad was finally repulsed in 1987. Libyan support
for terrorism decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992.
Those sanctions were suspended in April 1999.
Libya Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 17 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,759,540 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries: total: 4,383 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km,
Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline: 1,770 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus,
depressions
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 8%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 91% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,700 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind
lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: desertification; very limited natural
fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest
water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water
from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
Environment - international agreements: party to: Climate Change,
Desertification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban
Libya People
Population: 5,240,599
note: includes 662,669 non-nationals, of which an estimated 500,000
or more are Africans living in Libya (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.41% (male 947,645; female 907,854)
15-64 years: 60.64% (male 1,645,085; female 1,533,066)
65 years and over: 3.95% (male 101,701; female 105,248) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.42% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 27.67 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 3.51 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.65 years
male: 73.53 years
female: 77.88 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.64 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan
Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians,
Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%
Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in
the major cities
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.2%
male: 87.9%
female: 63% (1995 est.)
Libya Government
Country name: conventional long form: Great Socialist People's
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah
al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
local short form: none
Government type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory,
governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military
dictatorship
Capital: Tripoli
Administrative divisions: 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular -
baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al
Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari,
Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq,
Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan;
note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions
Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Legal system: based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law;
separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar
Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no
official title, but is de facto chief of state
head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee
(Premier) Mubarak al-SHAMEKH (since 2 March 2000)
cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General
People's Congress
elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of
people's committees; head of government elected by the General
People's Congress; election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held
NA)
election results: Mubarak al-SHAMEKH elected premier; percent of
General People's Congress vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats;
members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's
committees)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: various Arab nationalist
movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning
clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Libya does not have an embassy
in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US suspended all embassy
activities in Tripoli on 2 May 1980
Flag description: plain green; green is the traditional color of
Islam (the state religion)
Libya Economy
Economy - overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily
upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all
export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and
a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in
Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of
society. In this statist society, import restrictions and
inefficient resource allocations have led to periodic shortages of
basic goods and foodstuffs. The nonoil manufacturing and
construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have
expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the
production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic
conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and
Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements. Higher oil prices
in 1999 and 2000 led to an increase in export revenues, which
improved macroeconomic balances and helped to stimulate the economy.
Following the suspension of UN sanctions in 1999, Libya has been
trying to increase its attractiveness to foreign investors, and
several foreign companies have visited in search of contracts.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $45.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7%
industry: 47%
services: 46% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.5 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services and government 54%, industry
29%, agriculture 17% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $6.85 billion
expenditures: $4.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 18.9 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 17.577 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus,
vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle
Exports: $13.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products
Exports - partners: Italy 33%, Germany 24%, Spain 10%, France 5%,
Turkey 4%, Tunisia 4% (1999)
Imports: $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food,
manufactured goods
Imports - partners: Italy 24%, Germany 12%, Tunisia 9%, UK 7%,
France 6%, South Korea 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $4.1 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $8.4 million (1995)
Currency: Libyan dinar (LYD)
Currency code: LYD
Exchange rates: Libyan dinars per US dollar - 0.5101 (January 2001),
0.5081 (2000), 0.4616 (1999), 0.3785 (1998), 0.3891 (1997), 0.3651
(1996)
note: Libya currently has two rates for foreign trade; one for
government operations and foreign companies and one for Libyan
individuals (0.45 dinars per US dollar in December 1998)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Libya Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 380,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: telecommunications system is
being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became
operational in 1996
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,
tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat,
and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave
radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece;
participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 4, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 1.35 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus one low-power repeater)
(1998)
Televisions: 730,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ly
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 7,500 (2000)
Libya Transportation
Railways: note: Libya has had no railroad in operation since 1965,
all previous systems having been dismantled; current plans are to
construct a 1.435-m standard gauge line from the Tunisian frontier
to Tripoli and Misratah, then inland to Sabha, center of a
mineral-rich area, but there has been little progress; other plans
made jointly with Egypt would establish a rail line from As Sallum,
Egypt, to Tobruk with completion originally set for mid-1994; Libya
signed contracts with two private companies - Bahne of Egypt and Jez
Sistemas Ferroviarios of Spain - in 1998 for the supply of crossings
and pointwork (1001)
Highways: total: 24,484 km
paved: 6,800 km
unpaved: 17,684 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes
liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 256 km); natural gas 1,947 km
Ports and harbors: Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah,
Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
Merchant marine: total: 28 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
399,725 GRT/654,843 DWT
ships by type: cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 3,
petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 4 (2000
est.)
Airports: 136 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 58
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 78
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.)
Libya Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,459,400 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
866,012 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 61,694
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.3 billion (FY99/00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (FY99/00)
Libya Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in
northern Niger and also a part of southeastern Algeria
======================================================================
@Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein Introduction
Background: The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within
the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806.
Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but
the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced
Liechtenstein to conclude a customs and monetary union with
Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained
neutral) the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic
growth. However, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight have
resulted in concerns about the use of the financial institutions for
money laundering.
Liechtenstein Geography
Location: Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland
Geographic coordinates: 47 10 N, 9 32 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 160 sq km
land: 160 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 76 km
border countries: Austria 35 km, Switzerland 41 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or
rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
Terrain: mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m
highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 m
Natural resources: hydroelectric potential, arable land
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 16%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly
landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic
variations based on elevation
Liechtenstein People
Population: 32,528 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.41% (male 2,992; female 2,996)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 11,455; female 11,511)
65 years and over: 10.99% (male 1,439; female 2,135) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.98% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.53 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.95 years
male: 75.32 years
female: 82.6 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Liechtensteiner(s)
adjective: Liechtenstein
Ethnic groups: Alemannic 87.5%, Italian, Turkish, and other 12.5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 7.4%, unknown 7.7%, other
4.9% (1996)
Languages: German (official), Alemannic dialect
Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1981 est.)
Liechtenstein Government
Country name: conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
conventional short form: Liechtenstein
local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein
local short form: Liechtenstein
Government type: hereditary constitutional monarchy
Capital: Vaduz
Administrative divisions: 11 communes (gemeinden, singular -
gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell,
Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz
Independence: 23 January 1719 Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein
established; 12 July 1806 established independence from the Holy
Roman Empire
National holiday: Assumption Day, 15 August
Constitution: 5 October 1921
Legal system: local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13
November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir
Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968)
head of government: Head of Government Mario FRICK (since 15
December 1993) and Deputy Head of Government Michael RITTER (since 2
February 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Diet; confirmed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party in the Diet is usually
appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of
the largest minority party in the Diet is usually appointed the
deputy head of government by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Diet or Landtag (25 seats; members
are elected by direct popular vote under proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 9-11 February 2001 (next to be held by NA
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 49.90%, VU 41.35%,
FL 8.71%; seats by party - FBP 13, VU 11, FL 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Superior
Court or Obergericht
Political parties and leaders: Fatherland Union or VU [Dr. Oswald
KRANZ]; Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Dr. Ernst WALCH]; The
Free List or FL [Dr. Pepo FRICK, Karin JENNY, Rene HASLER]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: CE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, IAEA,
ICRM, IFRCS, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO (observer), WIPO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Liechtenstein's Ambassador to
the US, Claudia FRITSCHE, is dually accredited to the UN in New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US Ambassador to Switzerland is
also accredited to Liechtenstein
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red
with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band
Liechtenstein Economy
Economy - overview: Despite its small size and limited natural
resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly
industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial
service sector and living standards on a par with the urban areas of
its large European neighbors. Low business taxes - the maximum tax
rate is 18% - and easy incorporation rules have induced 73,700
holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal
offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The
country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses
the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90%
of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the
European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and EU) since May 1995. The
government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those
of an integrated Europe.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $730 million (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,000 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.5% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 22,891 of which 13,847 are foreigners; 8,231 commute
from Austria and Switzerland to work each day
Labor force - by occupation: industry, trade, and building 45%,
services 53%, agriculture, fishing, forestry, and horticulture 2%
(1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 1.8% (February 1999)
Budget: revenues: $424.2 million
expenditures: $414.1 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics,
pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock,
dairy products
Exports: $2.47 billion (1996)
Exports - commodities: small specialty machinery, dental products,
stamps, hardware, pottery
Exports - partners: EU and EFTA countries 60.57% (Switzerland 15.7%)
(1995)
Imports: $917.3 million (1996)
Imports - commodities: machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs,
motor vehicles
Imports - partners: EU countries, Switzerland (1996)
Debt - external: $0 (1996)
Economic aid - recipient: none
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Currency code: CHF
Exchange rates: Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6303 (January 2001),
1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997), 1.2360
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Liechtenstein Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 20,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave
radio relay
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 21,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)
Televisions: 12,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .li
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 44 (Liechtenstein and
Switzerland) (2000)
Internet users: NA
Liechtenstein Transportation
Railways: total: 18.5 km; note - owned, operated, and included in
statistics of Austrian Federal Railways
standard gauge: 18.5 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified)
Highways: total: 250 km
paved: 250 km
unpaved: 0 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: none
Liechtenstein Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Switzerland
Liechtenstein Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Liechtenstein's royal family claims
restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic
confiscated in 1918
Illicit drugs: multilateral organizations engaged in issuing
international guidelines for financial sector oversight have found
gaps in Liechtenstein's financial services controls that make it
vulnerable to money laundering
======================================================================
@Lithuania
Lithuania Introduction
Background: Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was
annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the
first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but this
proclamation was not generally recognized until September of 1991
(following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops
withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently has restructured its
economy for eventual integration into Western European institutions.
Lithuania Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia
and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 24 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 65,200 sq km
land: 65,200 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 1,273 km
border countries: Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km, Poland 91 km,
Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km
Coastline: 99 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: transitional, between maritime and continental; wet,
moderate winters and summers
Terrain: lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Juozapines/Kalnas 292 m
Natural resources: peat, arable land
Land use: arable land: 39%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 15% (2001 est.)
Irrigated land: 430 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater
with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Lithuania People
Population: 3,610,535 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.75% (male 345,694; female 331,125)
15-64 years: 67.69% (male 1,181,119; female 1,262,872)
65 years and over: 13.56% (male 165,732; female 323,993) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.27% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 10 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 12.86 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.25 years
male: 63.3 years
female: 75.5 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.37 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Lithuanian(s)
adjective: Lithuanian
Ethnic groups: Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%,
Byelorussian 1.6%, other 2.1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox,
Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, Jewish
Languages: Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1989 est.)
Lithuania Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania
conventional short form: Lithuania
local long form: Lietuvos Respublika
local short form: Lietuva
former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Vilnius
Administrative divisions: 44 regions (rajonai, singular - rajonas)
and 11 municipalities*: Akmenes Rajonas, Alytaus Rajonas, Alytus*,
Anyksciu Rajonas, Birstonas*, Birzu Rajonas, Druskininkai*,
Ignalinos Rajonas, Jonavos Rajonas, Joniskio Rajonas, Jurbarko
Rajonas, Kaisiadoriu Rajonas, Kaunas*, Kauno Rajonas, Kedainiu
Rajonas, Kelmes Rajonas, Klaipeda*, Klaipedos Rajonas, Kretingos
Rajonas, Kupiskio Rajonas, Lazdiju Rajonas, Marijampole*,
Marijampoles Rajonas, Mazeikiu Rajonas, Moletu Rajonas, Neringa*
Pakruojo Rajonas, Palanga*, Panevezio Rajonas, Panevezys*, Pasvalio
Rajonas, Plunges Rajonas, Prienu Rajonas, Radviliskio Rajonas,
Raseiniu Rajonas, Rokiskio Rajonas, Sakiu Rajonas, Salcininku
Rajonas, Siauliai*, Siauliu Rajonas, Silales Rajonas, Silutes
Rajonas, Sirvintu Rajonas, Skuodo Rajonas, Svencioniu Rajonas,
Taurages Rajonas, Telsiu Rajonas, Traku Rajonas, Ukmerges Rajonas,
Utenos Rajonas, Varenos Rajonas, Vilkaviskio Rajonas, Vilniaus
Rajonas, Vilnius*, Zarasu Rajonas
Independence: 11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet
Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's
independence)
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16
February 1918 is the date of independence from German, Austrian,
Prussian, and Russian occupation, 11 March 1990 is the date of
independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution: adopted 25 October 1992
Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of
legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since
26 February 1998)
head of government: Premier Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS (since 3 July 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
nomination of the premier
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 21 December 1997 and 4 January 1998 (next to be
held NA 2002); premier appointed by the president on the approval of
the Parliament
election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote
- Valdas ADAMKUS 50.4%, Arturas PAULAUSKAS 49.6%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71
members are directly elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by
proportional representation; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 October 2000 (next to be held NA October
2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democratic
Coalition 31.1%, New Union/Social Liberals 19.6%, Liberal Union
17.2%, TS 8.6%, remaining parties all less than 5%; seats by party -
Social Democratic Coalition 52, Liberal Union 34, New Union/Social
Liberals 29, TS 9, Farmer's Party 4, Center Union 2, Poles'
Electoral Action 2, Modern Christian Democratic Union 1,
independents 3, others 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both
courts appointed by the Parliament
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or LKDP
[Zigmas ZINKEVICIUS, chairman]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles
[Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI, chairman]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party
or TS [Vytautas LANDSBERGIS, chairman]; Lithuanian Center Union or
LCS [Kestutis GLAVECKAS, chairman]; Lithuanian Farmer's Party or LUP
[Ramunas KARBAUSKIS, chairman]; Lithuanian Liberal Union [Rolandas
PAKSAS, chairman]; Lithuanian Social Democratic Coalition [Algirdas
BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor
Party or LDDP, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSPD, and
New Democracy; Modern Christian Democratic Union [Vytautas BOGUSIS,
chairman]; New Union-Social Liberals [Arturas PAULAUSKAS, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT (observer), BIS,
CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate
partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Vygaudas USACKAS
chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860
FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John F. TEFFT
embassy: Akmenu 6, 2600 Vilnius
mailing address: American Embassy, Vilnius, PSC 78, Box V, APO AE
09723
telephone: [370] (2) 223-031
FAX: [370] (2) 227-236
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top),
green, and red
Lithuania Economy
Economy - overview: Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted
the most trade with Russia, has been slowly rebounding from the 1998
Russian financial crisis. High unemployment and weak consumption
have held back recovery. GDP growth for 2000 - estimated at 2.9% -
fell behind that of Estonia and Latvia, and unemployment is
estimated at 10.8%, the country's highest since regaining
independence in 1990. For 2001, Lithuanians forecast 3.2% growth,
1.8% inflation, and a fiscal deficit of 3.3%. In early 2001, the
Lithuanian Government announced that it will repeg its currency, the
litas, to the euro (the litas is currently pegged to the dollar)
some time in 2002. Lithuania must ratify 25 agreements along with
other legal documents and obligations by 1 May 2001 before gaining
World Trade Organization membership. Lithuania was invited to the
Helsinki summit in December 1999 and began EU accession talks in
early 2000. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities,
particularly in the energy sector, remains a key challenge for 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $26.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10%
industry: 33%
services: 57% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
3.1%
highest 10%: 25.6% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 2 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 30%, agriculture 20%, services
50% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10.8% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television
sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding
(small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing,
fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic
components, computers, amber
Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 13.567 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 23.89%
hydro: 3.43%
nuclear: 72.68%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 9.817 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 3.2 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 400 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax,
vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment 22%, mineral products
15%, chemicals 12%, textiles and clothing, foodstuffs (1999)
Exports - partners: Germany 15.8%, Latvia 12.6%, Russia 6.9%,
Belarus 5.8%, Denmark (1999)
Imports: $4.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 18%, mineral products
16%, chemicals 10%, textiles and clothing 10%, transport equipment
7% (1999)
Imports - partners: Russia 20.4%, Germany 16.5%, Denmark 3.8%,
Belarus 2.2%, Latvia 2% (1999)
Debt - external: $2.5 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $228.5 million (1995)
Currency: litas (LTL)
Currency code: LTL
Exchange rates: litai per US dollar - 4.000 (fixed rate since 1 May
1994); note - litai is the plural of litas
Fiscal year: calendar year
Lithuania Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.048 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 297,500 (November 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate, but is being
modernized to provide an improved international capability and
better residential access
domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system
is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and
expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the
Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber
applications
international: landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major
international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by
submarine cable for further transmission by satellite
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 112, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 1.9 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 1.7 million (1997)
Internet country code: .lt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2000)
Internet users: 225,000 (2000)
Lithuania Transportation
Railways: total: 2,002 km
broad gauge: 2,002 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) (1994)
Highways: total: 44,000 km
paved: 35,500 km
unpaved: 8,500 km (2000)
Waterways: 600 km (perennially navigable)
Pipelines: crude oil, 105 km; natural gas 760 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Butinge, Kaunas, Klaipeda
Merchant marine: total: 50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
293,168 GRT/327,827 DWT
ships by type: cargo 26, combination bulk 10, petroleum tanker 2,
railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 1,
short-sea passenger 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 72 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 63
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 55 (2000 est.)
Lithuania Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force,
Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard (Skat)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 929,389 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
730,363 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 28,506
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $181 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.66% (FY00)
Lithuania Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Latvia has not ratified a 1998 maritime
boundary agreement with Lithuania (primary concern is oil
exploration rights); 1997 border agreement with Russia not yet
ratified by Russia
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and other illicit
drugs from Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to
Western Europe and Scandinavia; limited production of
methamphetamine and ecstasy
======================================================================
@Luxembourg
Luxembourg Introduction
Background: Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815
and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than
half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger
measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun
by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when
it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO
the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six
founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the
European Union) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.
Luxembourg Geography
Location: Western Europe, between France and Germany
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 2,586 sq km
land: 2,586 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: total: 356 km
border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 135 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
Terrain: mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys;
uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to
Moselle flood plain in the southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m
Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 20%
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (including Belgium) (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in urban
areas, soil pollution of farmland
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Environmental Modification
Geography - note: landlocked
Luxembourg People
Population: 442,972 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.91% (male 43,051; female 40,711)
15-64 years: 67.03% (male 149,781; female 147,165)
65 years and over: 14.06% (male 24,921; female 37,343) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.26% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.25 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 9.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.3 years
male: 74.02 years
female: 80.8 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.16% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg
Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend),
Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo)
and European (guest and resident workers)
Religions: the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman
Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims
note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious
statistics
Languages: Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative
language), French (administrative language)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (2000 est.)
Luxembourg Government
Country name: conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg
local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg
local short form: Luxembourg
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Luxembourg
Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher,
Luxembourg
Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday: National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte)
23 June
Constitution: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions
Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October
2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch, born 11
November 1981);
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1
January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Lydie POLFER (since 7 August
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and
appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and vice
prime minister appointed by the monarch, following popular election
to the Chamber of Deputies; they are responsible to the Chamber of
Deputies
note: government coalition - CSV and DP
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des
Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 13 June 1999 (next to be held by NA June 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 29.79%, DP 21.58%,
LSAP 23.75%, ADR 10.36%, Green Party 9.09%, the Left 3.77%; seats by
party - CSV 19, DP 15, LSAP 13, ADR 6, Green Party 5, the Left 2
note: the Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members
who are appointed and dismissed by the Grand Duke based on proposals
from the government, the Chamber of Deputies, or the Council of
State, is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber
of Deputies
Judicial branch: judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the
Peace, 2 district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals);
administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office,
administrative courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court);
judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch
Political parties and leaders: Action Committee for Democracy and
Justice or ADR [Robert MEHLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or
CSV (known also as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Erna
HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES]; Democratic Party or DP [Lydie POLFER]; Green
Party [Abbes JACOBY and Felix BRAS]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers'
Party or LSAP [Jean ASSELBORN]; Marxist and Reformed Communist Party
DEI LENK (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: ABBL (bankers' association);
ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation
of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP
(trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce
(Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans);
FEDIL (federation of industrialists); LCGP (center-right trade
union); OGBL (center-left trade union)
International organization participation: ACCT, Australia Group,
Benelux, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Arlette CONZEMIUS
chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171
FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270
consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James C. HORMEL
embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City
mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE
09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box
9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail)
telephone: [352] 46 01 23
FAX: [352] 46 14 01
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white,
and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a
darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France
Luxembourg Economy
Economy - overview: The stable, high-income economy features solid
growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector,
initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to
include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the
financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel.
Services, especially banking, account for a substantial proportion
of the economy. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms.
The economy depends on foreign and trans-border workers for 30% of
its labor force. Luxembourg has a custom union with Belgium and the
Netherlands, and, as a member of the EU, enjoys the advantages of
the open European market. It joined with 10 other EU members to
launch the euro on 1 January 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $15.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.7% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $36,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 30%
services: 69% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 248,000 (of whom 70,200 are foreign cross-border
workers primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany) (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: services 83.2%, industry 14.3%,
agriculture 2.5% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.7% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $5.6 billion
expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals,
metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
Industrial production growth rate: 7.8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 648 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.88%
hydro: 53.09%
nuclear: 0%
other: 10.03% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 6.149 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 655 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 6.201 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine
grapes; livestock products
Exports: $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, steel products,
chemicals, rubber products, glass
Exports - partners: EU 75% (Germany 25%, France 21%, Belgium 13%, UK
8%, Italy 6%, Netherlands 5%), US 4% (1999)
Imports: $10 billion (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality
consumer goods
Imports - partners: EU 81% (Belgium 35%, Germany 26%, France 12%,
Netherlands 4%), US 9% (1999)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $160 million (1999)
Currency: Luxembourg franc (LUF); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in
Luxembourg at a fixed rate of 40.3399 Luxembourg francs per euro and
will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: LUF; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); Luxembourg francs per US dollar - 34.77
(January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996); note -
the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which
circulates freely in Luxembourg
Fiscal year: calendar year
Luxembourg Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 314,700 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 215,741 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, completely
automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable
international: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable
(Europe to North America)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios: 285,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1999)
Televisions: 285,000 (1998 est.)
Internet country code: .lu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 86,000 (1999)
Luxembourg Transportation
Railways: total: 274 km
standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified; 178 km
double track) (1998)
Highways: total: 5,166 km
paved: 5,166 km (including 118 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Waterways: 37 km (on the Moselle)
Pipelines: petroleum products 48 km
Ports and harbors: Mertert
Merchant marine: total: 50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
988,450 GRT/1,313,498 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, chemical tanker 11, container 2, liquefied
gas 18, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 7
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Belgium 4 (2000 est.)
Airports: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Luxembourg Military
Military branches: Army; note - the government abolished the
Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 112,714 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
92,817 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 2,565
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $131 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY98/99)
Luxembourg Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Macau
Macau Introduction
Background: Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau
was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an
agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau
became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20
December 1999. China has promised that, under its "one country, two
systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be
practiced in Macau and that Macau will enjoy a high degree of
autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs.
Macau Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates: 22 10 N, 113 33 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 0.34 km
border countries: China 0.34 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: not specified
Climate: subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Terrain: generally flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Coloane Alto 174 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: essentially urban; one causeway and two bridges
connect the two islands of Coloane and Taipa to the peninsula on
mainland
Macau People
Population: 453,733 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.68% (male 53,291; female 49,615)
15-64 years: 70.08% (male 150,538; female 167,431)
65 years and over: 7.24% (male 13,287; female 19,571) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.79% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.36 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 3.71 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 9.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.69 years
male: 78.88 years
female: 84.64 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.31 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups: Chinese 95%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian
ancestry), Portuguese, other
Religions: Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35%
(1997 est.)
Languages: Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90%
male: 93%
female: 86% (1981 est.)
Macau Government
Country name: conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative
Region
conventional short form: Macau
local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao
Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)
local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)
Dependency status: special administrative region of China
Government type: NA
Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of
China)
Independence: none (special administrative region of China)
National holiday: National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the
People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 20 December
1999 is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region
Establishment Day
Constitution: Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National
People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"
Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system
Suffrage: direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent
residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect
election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters"
(257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee
drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and
central government bodies
Executive branch: chief of state: President of China JIANG Zemin
(since 27 March 1993)
head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20
December 1999)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of all five government
secretaries, three legislators, and two businessmen
elections: NA
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (23
seats; 8 elected by popular vote, 8 by indirect vote, and 7
appointed by the chief executive; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 22 September 1996 (next to be held by 15
October 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
APPEM 2, UNIPRO 2, CODEM 1, UDM 1, UPD 1, ANMD 1
Judicial branch: The Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special
Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders: the following is a listing of those
associations that participated in the last legislative elections:
Associacao de Novo Macau Democratico or ANMD [leader NA]; Associacao
Promotora para a Economia de Macau or APPEM [leader NA];
Convergencia para o Desenvolvimento or CODEM [leader NA]; Uniao
Geral para o Desenvolvimento de Macau or UDM [leader NA]; Uniao para
o Desenvolvimento or UPD [leader NA]; Uniao Promotora para o
Progresso or UNIPRO [leader NA]
note: there are no formal political parties, but civic associations
are used instead
Political pressure groups and leaders: Catholic Church [Domingos
LAM, bishop]; Macau Society of Tourism and Entertainment or STDM
[Stanley HO, managing director]; Union for Democracy Development
[Antonio NG Kuok-cheong, leader]
International organization participation: CCC, ESCAP (associate),
IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), UNESCO (associate), WMO, WToO
(associate), WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (special administrative
region of China)
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US has no offices in
Macau, and US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in
Hong Kong
Flag description: light green with a lotus flower above a stylized
bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed
stars: one large in center of arc and four smaller
Macau Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is based largely on tourism
(including gambling) and textile and fireworks manufacturing.
Efforts to diversify have spawned other small industries - toys,
artificial flowers, and electronics. The tourist sector has
accounted for roughly 25% of GDP, and the clothing industry has
provided about three-fourths of export earnings; the gambling
industry probably represents over 40% of GDP. More than 8 million
tourists visited Macau in 2000. Macau depends on China for most of
its food, fresh water, and energy imports. Japan and Hong Kong are
the main suppliers of raw materials and capital goods. Output
dropped 5% in 1998 and 3% in 1999, with a small 2% gain in 2000.
Macau reverted to Chinese administration on 20 December 1999. Gang
violence, a dark spot in the economy, probably will be reduced in
2000-01 to the advantage of the tourism sector.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.82 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 25%
services: 74% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -1.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 283,450 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: restaurants and hotels 26%,
manufacturing 22%, other services 52% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.6% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $1.22 billion, including capital expenditures of $175
million (1999 est.)
Industries: clothing, textiles, toys, electronics, footwear,
tourism, gambling
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.355 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.422 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 3 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 165 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, vegetables
Exports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: textiles, clothing, toys, electronics,
cement, footwear, machinery
Exports - partners: US 47%, EU 30%, China 9.2%, Hong Kong 6.7% (1999)
Imports: $2.4 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods,
fuels, consumer goods
Imports - partners: China 36%, Hong Kong 18%, EU 13%, Taiwan 10%,
Japan 7% (1999)
Debt - external: $1.7 billion (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: pataca (MOP)
Currency code: MOP
Exchange rates: patacas per US dollar - 8.033 (January 2001), 8.025
(2000), 7.990 (1999), 7.978 (1998), 7.974 (1997), 7.966 (1996); note
- linked to the Hong Kong dollar at the rate of 1.03 patacas per
Hong Kong dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
Macau Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 176,837 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 120,957 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: fairly modern communication
facilities maintained for domestic and international services
domestic: NA
international: HF radiotelephone communication facility; access to
international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and
China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 160,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (receives Hong Kong broadcasts)
(1997)
Televisions: 49,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 40,000 (2000)
Macau Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 50 km
paved: 50 km
unpaved: 0 km (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Macau
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Macau Military
Military branches: Macau garrison of China's People's Liberation
Army (PLA) includes about 500 troops
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 125,737 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
69,191 (2001 est.)
Military - note: responsibility for defense reverted to China on 20
December 1999
Macau Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Introduction Top of
Page
Background: International recognition of The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM) independence from Yugoslavia in 1991
was delayed by Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it
considered a Hellenic name and symbols. Greece finally lifted its
trade blockade in 1995, and the two countries agreed to normalize
relations, despite continued disagreement over FYROM's use of
"Macedonia." FYROM's large Albanian minority and the de facto
independence of neighboring Kosovo continue to be sources of ethnic
tension.
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, north of Greece
Geographic coordinates: 41 50 N, 22 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 25,333 sq km
land: 24,856 sq km
water: 477 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Vermont
Land boundaries: total: 748 km
border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 228 km,
Yugoslavia 221 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: warm, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters
with heavy snowfall
Terrain: mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys;
three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected
by the Vardar River
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vardar River 50 m
highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,753 m
Natural resources: chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten,
nickel, low-grade iron ore, asbestos, sulfur, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 10% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 830 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: high seismic risks
Environment - current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked; major transportation corridor from
Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to
Western Europe
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of People
Population: 2,046,209 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.92% (male 243,715; female 225,349)
15-64 years: 66.94% (male 688,484; female 681,225)
65 years and over: 10.14% (male 92,043; female 115,393) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.43% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.5 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.02 years
male: 71.79 years
female: 76.43 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Macedonian(s)
adjective: Macedonian
Ethnic groups: Macedonian 66.6%, Albanian 22.7%, Turkish 4%, Roma
2.2%, Serb 2.1%, other 2.4% (1994)
Religions: Macedonian Orthodox 67%, Muslim 30%, other 3%
Languages: Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian
3%, other 3%
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Government
Country name: conventional long form: The Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republika Makedonija
local short form: Makedonija
abbreviation: FYROM
Government type: emerging democracy
Capital: Skopje
Administrative divisions: 123 municipalities (opstini, singular -
opstina); Aracinovo, Bac, Belcista, Berovo, Bistrica, Bitola,
Blatec, Bogdanci, Bogomila, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Cair
(Skopje), Capari, Caska, Cegrane, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa,
Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Delcevo, Delogozdi, Demir Hisar,
Demir Kapija, Dobrusevo, Dolna Banjica, Dolneni, Dorce Petrov
(Skopje), Drugovo, Dzepciste, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija,
Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Izvor, Jegunovce, Kamenjane, Karbinci,
Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Klecevce,
Kocani, Konce, Kondovo, Konopiste, Kosel, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka,
Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kuklis, Kukurecani, Kumanovo, Labunista,
Lipkovo, Lozovo, Lukovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod,
Mavrovi Anovi, Meseista, Miravci, Mogila, Murtino, Negotino,
Negotino-Poloska, Novaci, Novo Selo, Oblesevo, Ohrid, Orasac,
Orizari, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnia, Podares, Prilep,
Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Rostusa, Samokov,
Saraj, Sipkovica, Sopiste, Sopotnika, Srbinovo, Star Dojran,
Staravina, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani,
Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Topolcani,
Valandovo, Vasilevo, Velesta, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vitoliste,
Vranestica, Vrapciste, Vratnica, Vrutok, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zileno,
Zitose, Zletovo, Zrnovci
note: the seven municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses
collectively constitute "greater Skopje"
Independence: 17 September 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: Uprising Day, 2 August (1903)
Constitution: adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991
note: Democratic Party for Albanians (DPA), which is now a member
party of the government, is calling for a rewrite of the
constitution to declare ethnic Albanians a constituent national
group and allow for greater regional autonomy
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Boris TRAJKOVSKI (since
15 December 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Ljubco GEORGIEVSKI (since 30
November 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all
the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the
government coalition parties VMRO-DPMNE, LDP, and DPA
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA October
2004); prime minister elected by parliament; election last held NA
November 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: Boris TRAJKOVSKI elected president on
second-round ballot; percent of vote - Boris TRAJKOVSKI 52.4%, Tito
PETKOVSKI 46.2%
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly or Sobranje (120 seats - 85
members are elected by popular vote, 35 members come from lists of
candidates submitted by parties based on the percentage that parties
gain from the overall vote; all serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 October and 1 November 1998 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
VMRO-DPMNE 43, SDSM 27, PDP 14, DA 13, DPA 11, VMRO-VMRO 6, LDP 4,
SP 1, Roma Party 1
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Judicial Court of the
Republic; judges for both courts are elected by the Judicial Council
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil
TUPURKOVSKI, president]; Democratic Party for Albanians or DPA
[Arben XHAFERI, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or
VMRO-DPMNE [Ljubcho GEORGIEVSKI, president]; Internal Macedonian
Revolutionary Organization-True Macedonian Reform Option or
VMRO-VMRO [Boris STOJMANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto
GUSTERVO]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP [Imeri IMERI,
president]; Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM (former
Communist Party) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president]; Socialist Party of
Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV, president]; Union of Romanies of
Macedonia or SRM [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT (associate), BIS,
CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ljubica Z. ACEVSKA
chancery: 3050 K Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 337 3063
FAX: [1] (202) 337-3093
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael M. EINIK
embassy: Bul. Ilinden bb, 91000 Skopje
mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch)
telephone: [389] (91) 116-180
FAX: [389] (91) 117-103
Flag description: a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to
the edges of the red field
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Economy
Economy - overview: At independence in November 1991, Macedonia was
the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5%
of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of
Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the center and eliminated
advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence
of infrastructure, UN sanctions on its largest market Yugoslavia,
and a Greek economic embargo hindered economic growth until 1996.
GDP has subsequently increased each year, rising by 5% in 2000.
Successful privatization in 2000 boosted the country's reserves to
over $700 million. Also, the leadership demonstrated a continuing
commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration.
Inflation jumped to 11% in 2000, largely due to higher oil prices.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12%
industry: 25%
services: 63% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 32% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $1.06 billion
expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $107
million (1996 est.)
Industries: coal, metallic chromium, lead, zinc, ferronickel,
textiles, wood products, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000)
Electricity - production: 6.395 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 82.25%
hydro: 17.75%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 5.992 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 30 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 75 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, millet, cotton,
sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus, vegetables; beef, pork, poultry,
mutton
Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous
manufactures, iron and steel
Exports - partners: Germany 22%, Yugoslavia 22%, US 12%, Greece 7%,
Italy 6% (2000)
Imports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels;
food products
Imports - partners: Germany 13%, Ukraine 13%, Russia 10%, Yugoslavia
8%, Greece 8% (2000)
Debt - external: $1.4 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $100 million from the EU (2000)
Currency: Macedonian denar (MKD)
Currency code: MKD
Exchange rates: Macedonian denars per US dollar - 64.757 (January
2001), 65.904 (2000), 56.902 (1999), 54.462 (1998), 50.004 (1997),
39.981 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Communications Top of
Page
Telephones - main lines in use: 408,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 12,362 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 29, FM 20, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 410,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 31 (plus 166 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 510,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mk
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 30,000 (2000)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Transportation Top of
Page
Railways: total: 699 km
standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified)
note: a 56-km extension of the Kumanovo-Beljakovci line to the
Bulgarian border at Gyveshevo is under construction (2001)
Highways: total: 8,684 km
paved: 5,540 km (including 133 km of expressways)
unpaved: 3,144 km (1997)
Waterways: note: lake transport only, on the Greek and Albanian
borders
Pipelines: 10 km
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 16 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Military
Military branches: Army (includes Air and Air Defense Forces),
Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 548,183 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
442,053 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 17,905
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $76.3 million (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.17% (FY00/01)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Transnational Issues Top
of Page
Disputes - international: dispute with Greece over its name;
February 2001 agreement with Yugoslavia settled alignment of
boundary, stipulating implementation within two years
Illicit drugs: increasing transshipment point for Southwest Asian
heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine
destined for Europe
======================================================================
@Madagascar
Madagascar Introduction
Background: Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a
French colony in 1886, but regained its independence in 1960. During
1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were
held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997 in the second
presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and
1980s, was returned to the presidency.
Madagascar Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of
Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 47 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 587,040 sq km
land: 581,540 sq km
water: 5,500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 4,828 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or 100 NM from the 2,500-m deep isobath
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
Terrain: narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz,
tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 41%
forests and woodland: 40%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10,870 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic cyclones
Environment - current issues: soil erosion results from
deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water
contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several
species of flora and fauna unique to the island are endangered
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic location
along Mozambique Channel
Madagascar People
Population: 15,982,563 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45.02% (male 3,607,803; female 3,587,532)
15-64 years: 51.77% (male 4,093,720; female 4,180,430)
65 years and over: 3.21% (male 239,839; female 273,239) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.02% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 42.66 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 12.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 83.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 55.35 years
male: 53.08 years
female: 57.68 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 11,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 870 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective: Malagasy
Ethnic groups: Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo),
Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry -
Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian,
Creole, Comoran
Religions: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
Languages: French (official), Malagasy (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 80%
male: 88%
female: 73% (1990 est.)
Madagascar Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar
conventional short form: Madagascar
local long form: Republique de Madagascar
local short form: Madagascar
former: Malagasy Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Antananarivo
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo,
Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara
Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 June (1960)
Constitution: 19 August 1992 by national referendum
Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional
Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Didier RATSIRAKA (since
10 February 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Tantely Rene Gabriot
ANDRIANARIVO (since NA 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 29 December 1996 (next to be held NA November
2001); prime minister appointed by the president from a list of
candidates nominated by the National Assembly
election results: Didier RATSIRAKA elected president; percent of
vote - Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 50.7%, Albert ZAFY (AFFA) 49.3%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms); note - the legislature is scheduled to
become a bicameral Parliament with the establishment of a Senate;
two-thirds of the seats of this Senate will be filled by regional
assemblies whose members will be elected by popular vote; the
remaining one-third of the seats will be appointed by the president;
the total number of seats will be determined by the National
Assembly; all members will serve four-year terms
elections: National Assembly - last held 17 May 1998 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - AREMA 63, LEADER/Fanilo 16, AVI 14, RPSD 11,
AFFA 6, MFM 3, AKFM/Fanavaozana 3, GRAD/Iloafo 1, Fihaonana 1,
independents 32
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional
Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle
Political parties and leaders: Action, Truth, Development, and
Harmony or AFFA [Professor Albert ZAFY]; Association for the Rebirth
of Madagascar or AREMA [leader vacant]; Congress Party for Malagasy
Independence or AKFM/Fanavaozana; Economic Liberalism and Democratic
Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo
RAZAFIMAHALEO]; Fihaonana Rally or Fihaonana [Guy RAZANAMASY]; Group
of Reflection and Action for the Development of Madagascar or
GRAD/Iloafo; Judged by Your Work or AVI [Norbert RATSIRAHONANA];
Movement for the Progress of Madagascar or MFM [Manandafy
RAKOTONIRINA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD
[Evariste MARSON]; Tranobe (Big House) [Ny Hasina ANDRIAMANJATO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Federalist Movement; National
Council of Christian Churches or FFKM
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Zina ANDRIANARIVELO-RAZAFY
chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Shirley E. BARNES
embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo
mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo
telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57
FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green
with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side
Madagascar Economy
Economy - overview: Madagascar faces problems of chronic
malnutrition, underfunded health and education facilities, a roughly
3% annual population growth rate, and severe loss of forest cover,
accompanied by erosion. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry,
is the mainstay of the economy, accounting for 30% of GDP and
contributing more than 70% to export earnings. Industry features
textile manufacturing and the processing of agricultural products.
Growth in output in 1992-97 averaged less than the growth rate of
the population. Growth has been held back by antigovernment strikes
and demonstrations, a decline in world coffee prices, and the
erratic commitment of the government to economic reform. The extent
of government reforms, outside financial aid, and foreign investment
will be key determinants of future growth. For 2001, growth should
again be about 5%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 14%
services: 56% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 70% (1994 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.9%
highest 10%: 36.7% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 7 million (1999)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $553 million
expenditures: $735 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar,
textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper,
petroleum, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 810 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 37.04%
hydro: 62.96%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 753.3 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa,
rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products
Exports: $538 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar; cotton
cloth, chromite, petroleum products
Exports - partners: France 41%, US 19%, Germany 13%, UK 8%, Japan 6%
(1999)
Imports: $693 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports - commodities: intermediate manufactures, capital goods,
petroleum, consumer goods, food
Imports - partners: France 34%, Hong Kong 6%, China 6%, Japan 5%,
Singapore 4% (1999)
Debt - external: $4.4 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $838 million (1997)
Currency: Malagasy franc (MGF)
Currency code: MGF
Exchange rates: Malagasy francs per US dollar - 6,656.3 (November
2000), 6,283.8 (1999), 5,441.4 (1998), 5,090.9 (1997), 4,061.3 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Madagascar Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 43,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: system is above average for
the region
domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay,
and tropospheric scatter links
international: submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations
- 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean
region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2 (plus 8 repeater stations), FM 7,
shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 3.05 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 36 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 325,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 8,000 (2000)
Madagascar Transportation
Railways: total: 883 km
narrow gauge: 883 km 1.000-m gauge (1994)
Highways: total: 49,837 km
paved: 5,781 km
unpaved: 44,056 km (1996)
Waterways: note: of local importance only
Ports and harbors: Antsiranana, Antsohimbondrona, Mahajanga,
Toamasina, Toliara
Merchant marine: total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
24,819 GRT/34,173 DWT
ships by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1,
petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 130 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 29
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 101
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 56
under 914 m: 43 (2000 est.)
Madagascar Military
Military branches: Popular Armed Forces (includes Intervention
Forces, Development Forces, Aeronaval Forces - includes Navy and Air
Force), Gendarmerie, Presidential Security Regiment
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,640,554 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,159,767 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 153,856
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $29 million (FY94)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY94)
Madagascar Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims Bassas da India, Europa Island,
Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island (all
administered by France)
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild
varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point
for heroin
======================================================================
@Malawi
Malawi Introduction
Background: Established in 1891, the British protectorate of
Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After
three decades of one-party rule, the country held multiparty
elections in 1994 under a provisional constitution, which took full
effect the following year. National multiparty elections were held
again in 1999.
Malawi Geography
Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia
Geographic coordinates: 13 30 S, 34 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km
water: 24,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837
km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season
(May to November)
Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded
hills, some mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Shire River and
international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa 3,002 m
Natural resources: limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited
deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite
Land use: arable land: 34%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 7% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: deforestation; land degradation; water
pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes;
siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked
Malawi People
Population: 10,548,250
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.43% (male 2,348,940; female 2,337,290)
15-64 years: 52.78% (male 2,741,622; female 2,825,966)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 119,283; female 175,149) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 37.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 22.81 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 121.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 37.08 years
male: 36.61 years
female: 37.55 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.18 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 15.96% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 800,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 70,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian
Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga,
Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European
Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%,
indigenous beliefs
Languages: English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages
important regionally
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 72.8%
female: 43.4% (1999 est.)
Malawi Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi
former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland
Protectorate, Nyasaland
Government type: multiparty democracy
Capital: Lilongwe
Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa,
Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe,
Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba,
Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima,
Thyolo, Zomba; note - there may be three new districts named Balaka,
Likoma, and Phalombe
Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1964)
Constitution: 18 May 1994
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21
May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head
of government
head of government: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: 36-member Cabinet named by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Bakili MULUZI reelected president; percent of
vote - Bakili MULUZI (UDF) 51.4%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MCP-AFORD)
44.3%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - UDF 48%, MCP 34%,
AFORD 15%, others 3%; seats by party - UDF 94, MCP 66, AFORD 29,
others 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice
appointed by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of
the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or AFORD
[Chakufwa CHIHANA, president]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [Gwanda
CHAKUAMBA, president, John TEMBO, vice president]; Malawi Democratic
Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA, president]; National Independence
Party; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eston KAKHOME, president];
United Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing party
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU,
OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Paul Tony Steven KANDIERO
chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Roger A. MEECE
embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road
mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
telephone: [265] 773 166
FAX: [265] 770 471
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red,
and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band
Government - note: the executive exerts considerable influence over
the legislature
Malawi Economy
Economy - overview: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least
developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with
about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture
accounts for 37% of GDP and 85% of export revenues. The economy
depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF,
the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi
was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC) program. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to
fully develop a market economy, to improve educational facilities,
to face up to environmental problems, and to deal with the rapidly
growing problem of HIV/AIDS.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $9.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 37%
industry: 29%
services: 34% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 54% (FY90/91 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 29.5% (2000)
Labor force: 3.5 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 86% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $490 million
expenditures: $523 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY99/00 est.)
Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer
goods
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.025 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.44%
hydro: 97.56%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 950 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 3 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn,
potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats
Exports: $416 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts,
wood products
Exports - partners: South Africa 16%, Germany 16%, US 15%,
Netherlands 7%, Japan (1999)
Imports: $435 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures,
consumer goods, transportation equipment
Imports - partners: South Africa 43%, Zimbabwe 14%, UK 5%, Germany
5%, Zambia, Japan, US (1999)
Debt - external: $2.9 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $427 million (1999)
Currency: Malawian kwacha (MWK)
Currency code: MWK
Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 80.0946 (December
2000), 59.5438 (2000), 44.0881 (1999), 31.0727 (1998), 16.4442
(1997), 15.3085 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Malawi Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 37,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 7,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and radiotelephone communications stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 4 (plus 15 repeater stations),
shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 2.6 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1999)
Televisions: 0 (1999)
Internet country code: .mw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2001)
Internet users: 10,000 (2000)
Malawi Transportation
Railways: total: 789 km
narrow gauge: 789 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways: total: 16,451 km
paved: 3,126 km
unpaved: 13,325 km (1997)
Waterways: 144 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall
Ports and harbors: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota,
Chilumba
Airports: 44 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 23 (2000 est.)
Malawi Military
Military branches: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment),
Police (includes paramilitary Mobile Force Unit)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,466,708 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,265,893 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9.5 million (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.76% (FY00/01)
Malawi Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in
Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
======================================================================
@Malaysia
Malaysia Introduction
Background: Malaysia was created in 1963 through the merging of
Malaya (independent in 1957) and the former British Singapore, both
of which formed West Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak in north
Borneo, which composed East Malaysia. The first three years of
independence were marred by hostilities with Indonesia. Singapore
separated from the union in 1965.
Malaysia Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, peninsula and northern one-third of the
island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south
of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 2 30 N, 112 30 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 2,669 km
border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km
Coastline: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia
2,607 km)
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast
(October to February) monsoons
Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m
Natural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural
gas, bauxite
Land use: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 12%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 68%
other: 17% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,941 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding, landslides
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial and
vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation;
smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and
southern South China Sea
Malaysia People
Population: 22,229,040 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.5% (male 3,943,324; female 3,724,634)
15-64 years: 61.35% (male 6,828,670; female 6,808,623)
65 years and over: 4.15% (male 404,042; female 519,747) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.96% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 24.75 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal
immigrants from other countries in the region
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 20.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.11 years
male: 68.48 years
female: 73.92 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.24 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.42% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 49,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,900 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian
Ethnic groups: Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 27%, Indian
8%, others 7% (2000)
Religions: Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism;
note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
Languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects
(Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil,
Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East
Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of
which are Iban and Kadazan
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5%
male: 89.1%
female: 78.1% (1995 est.)
Malaysia Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
former: Federation of Malaysia
Government type: constitutional monarchy
note: Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August
1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore)
formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left the federation on 9 August 1965);
nominally headed by the paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament
consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house;
Peninsular Malaysian states - hereditary rulers in all but Melaka,
Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak, where governors are appointed by the
Malaysian Government; powers of state governments are limited by the
federal constitution; under terms of the federation, Sabah and
Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., the right
to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah - holds 20 seats
in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal
security, and other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak
- holds 28 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs,
defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal
government
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Administrative divisions: 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular -
negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah persekutuan,
singular - wilayah persekutuan); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Labuan*,
Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah,
Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu, Wilayah Persekutuan*
note: the city of Kuala Lumpur is located within the federal
territory of Wilayah Persekutuan; the terms therefore are not
interchangeable; there may be a new federal territory named Putrajaya
Independence: 31 August 1957 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)
Constitution: 31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of
the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU
SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam
Shah (since 26 April 1999); Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN
Zainal Abidin ibni A-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah
head of government: Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since
16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi
(since 8 January 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler
elections: paramount ruler and deputy paramount ruler elected by
and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year
terms; election last held 27 February 1999 (next to be held NA
2004); prime minister designated from among the members of the House
of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of
the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of
Representatives becomes prime minister
election results: Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni
Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elected paramount ruler;
Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin ibni A-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi
Billah Shah elected deputy paramount ruler
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of
nonelected Senate or Dewan Negara (69 seats; 43 appointed by the
paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state legislatures) and the
House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (193 seats; members elected
by popular vote weighted toward the rural Malay population to serve
five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 29 November 1999
(next must be held by 20 December 2004)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NF 56%, other 44%; seats by party - NF 148, PAS 27, DAP 10,
NJP 5, PBS 3
Judicial branch: Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount
ruler on the advice of the prime minister)
Political parties and leaders: Alternative Coalition or Barisan
Alternatif-BA (includes the following parties: Party Islam
Se-Malaysia or PAS [FADZIL Mohamad Noor], National Justice Party or
NJP [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismail], Democratic Action Party or DAP [LIM Kit
Siang], and Malaysian People's Party or PRM [SYED HUSIN]); National
Front or NF (ruling coalition dominated by the United Malays
National Organization or UMNO [MAHATHIR bin Mohammad], includes the
following parties: Malaysian Indian Congress or MIC [S. Samy VELLU],
Malaysian Chinese Association or MCA [LING Liong Sik], Gerakan
Rakyat Malaysia or Gerakan [LIM Keng Yaik], Parti Pesaka Bumiputra
Bersatu or PBB [Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud], Parti Angkatan
Keadilan Rakyat Bersatu or Akar [PANDIKAR Amin Mulia], Parti Bangsa
Dayak Sarawak or PBDS [Leo MOGGIE], Sarawak United People's Party or
SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam], Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [CHONG
Kah Kiat], Sabah Progressive Party or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee], People's
Progressive Party or PPP [M. KAYVEAS], Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or
PBRS [Joseph KURUP], Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Amar James
WONG], Parti Demokratik Sabah or PDS [leader NA], and United Pasok
Momogun Kadazan Organization or UPKO (state level only) [Bernard
DOMPOK]); Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti
Bersekutu [HARRIS Salleh]; State Reform Party of Sarawak or STAR
[PATAU Rubis]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
GHAZZALI Sheikh Abdul Khalid
chancery: 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2700
FAX: [1] (202) 483-7661
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
B. Lynn PASCOE
embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur; American
Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152
telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000
FAX: [60] (3) 2168-4961
Flag description: 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top)
alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the
upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow
fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional
symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US
Malaysia Economy
Economy - overview: GDP grew at 8.6% in 2000, mainly on the strength
of double-digit export growth and continued government fiscal
stimulus. As an oil exporter, Malaysia also benefited from higher
petroleum prices. Higher export revenues allowed the country to
register a current account surplus, but foreign exchange reserves
have been declining - from a peak of $34.5 billion in April 2000 to
$29.7 billion by December - as foreign investors pulled money out of
the country. Despite this development, Kuala Lumpur is unlikely to
abandon its currency peg soon. An economic slowdown in key Western
markets, especially the United States, and lower world demand for
electronics products will slow GDP growth to 3%-6% in 2001,
according to private forecasters. Over the longer term, Malaysia's
failure to make substantial progress on key reforms of the corporate
and financial sectors clouds prospects for sustained growth and the
return of critical foreign investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $223.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 8.6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14%
industry: 44%
services: 42% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 6.8% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.4%
highest 10%: 20.4% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2000)
Labor force: 9.6 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: local trade and tourism 28%,
manufacturing 27%, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries 16%,
services 10%, government 10%, construction 9% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.8% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $16.4 billion
expenditures: $17.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $43
billion (2000 est.)
Industries: Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and
manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining
and smelting, logging and processing timber; Sabah - logging,
petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum
production and refining, logging
Industrial production growth rate: 12.1% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 59.044 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 91.61%
hydro: 8.39%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 54.872 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 50 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 11 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil,
cocoa, rice; Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts,
rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper; timber
Exports: $97.9 billion (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied
natural gas, chemicals, palm oil, wood and wood products, rubber,
textiles
Exports - partners: US 21%, Singapore 18%, Japan 13%, Hong Kong 5%,
Netherlands 4%, Taiwan 4%, Thailand 3% (2000 est.)
Imports: $82.6 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals,
food, fuel and lubricants
Imports - partners: Japan 21%, US 17%, Singapore 14%, Taiwan 6%,
South Korea 5%, Thailand 4%, China 4% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $41.8 billion (2000 est.)
Currency: ringgit (MYR)
Currency code: MYR
Exchange rates: ringgits per US dollar - 3.8000 (January 2001),
3.8000 (2000), 3.8000 (1999), 3.9244 (1998), 2.8133 (1997), 2.5159
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Malaysia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4.5 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.698 million (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system; international
service excellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio
relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic
satellite system with 2 earth stations
international: submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific
Ocean) (2001)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 56, FM 31 (plus 13 repeater stations),
shortwave 5 (1999)
Radios: 10.9 million (1999)
Television broadcast stations: 27 (plus 15 high-power repeaters)
(1999)
Televisions: 10.8 million (1999)
Internet country code: .my
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (2000)
Internet users: 1.5 million (2000)
Malaysia Transportation
Railways: total: 1,801 km
narrow gauge: 1,801 km 1.000-m gauge (148 km electrified) (2000)
Highways: total: 64,672 km
paved: 48,707 km (including 1,192 km of expressways)
unpaved: 15,965 km
note: in addition to these national and main regional roads,
Malaysia has thousands of kilometers of local roads that are
maintained by local jurisdictions (1999)
Waterways: 7,296 km
note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,209 km, Sabah 1,569 km, Sarawak 2,518 km
Pipelines: crude oil 1,307 km; natural gas 379 km
Ports and harbors: Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat,
Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port Dickson,
Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung Kidurong, Tawau
Merchant marine: total: 362 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
5,103,657 GRT/7,574,999 DWT
ships by type: bulk 62, cargo 110, chemical tanker 35, container
60, liquefied gas 20, livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, petroleum
tanker 58, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 6, specialized
tanker 1, vehicle carrier 6 (2000 est.)
Airports: 115 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 33
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 82
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 73 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Malaysia Military
Military branches: Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal
Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police,
Sarawak Border Scouts
Military manpower - military age: 21 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,800,456 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
3,514,023 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 196,042
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.69 billion (FY00 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.03% (FY00)
Malaysia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: involved in a complex dispute over the
Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and
possibly Brunei; Philippines have not fully revoked claim to Sabah
State; Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca Island) disputed with
Singapore; Sipadan and Ligitan Islands in dispute with Indonesia
Illicit drugs: transit point for some illicit drugs; drug
trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties
======================================================================
@Maldives
Maldives Introduction
Background: The Maldives were long a sultanate, first under Dutch
and then under British protection. They became a republic in 1968,
three years after independence. Tourism and fishing are being
developed on the archipelago.
Maldives Geography
Location: Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean,
south-southwest of India
Geographic coordinates: 3 15 N, 73 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 300 sq km
land: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 644 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to
March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Terrain: flat, with white sandy beaches
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu
Atoll 2.4 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 84% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive to
sea level rise
Environment - current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers
threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral
reef bleaching
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200
inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts);
archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes
in Indian Ocean
Maldives People
Population: 310,764 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45.63% (male 72,920; female 68,895)
15-64 years: 51.37% (male 81,506; female 78,149)
65 years and over: 3% (male 4,806; female 4,488) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.01% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 38.15 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.09 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 63.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.56 years
male: 61.39 years
female: 63.8 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.5 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Maldivian(s)
adjective: Maldivian
Ethnic groups: South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
Religions: Sunni Muslim
Languages: Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived
from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.2%
male: 93.3%
female: 93% (1995 est.)
Maldives Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Maldives
conventional short form: Maldives
local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
Government type: republic
Capital: Male
Administrative divisions: 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural)
and 1 other first-order administrative division*; Alifu, Baa,
Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa
Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale*, Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu,
Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu
Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
Constitution: adopted January 1998
Legal system: based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common
law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM
(since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11
November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: appointed by the president; note - need not be members of
Majlis
elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then that
nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51%
approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year
term; election last held 16 October 1998 (next to be held NA October
2003)
election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected; percent
of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.9%
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats;
42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 November 1999 (next to be held NA November
2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 42
Judicial branch: High Court
Political parties and leaders: although political parties are not
banned, none exist
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Maldives does not have an
embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN in
New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to
Maldives and makes periodic visits there
Flag description: red with a large green rectangle in the center
bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent
is on the hoist side of the flag
Maldives Economy
Economy - overview: Tourism, Maldives largest industry, accounts for
20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange
receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import
duties and tourism-related taxes. Almost 400,000 tourists visited
the islands in 1998. Fishing is a second leading sector. The
Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989
initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the
private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to
allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing
continue to play a minor role in the economy, constrained by the
limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic
labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists
mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts,
accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the
impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying
country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $594 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7.6% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20%
industry: 18%
services: 62% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 67,000 (1995)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 22%, industry 18%, services
60% (1995)
Unemployment rate: NEGL%
Budget: revenues: $166 million (excluding foreign grants)
expenditures: $192 million, including capital expenditures of $80
million (1999 est.)
Industries: fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building,
coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral
and sand mining
Industrial production growth rate: 4.4% (1996 est.)
Electricity - production: 101 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 93.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
Exports: $88 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: fish, clothing
Exports - partners: US, UK, Sri Lanka, Japan
Imports: $372 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, intermediate and capital
goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners: Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Canada
Debt - external: $237 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: rufiyaa (MVR)
Currency code: MVR
Exchange rates: rufiyaa per US dollar - 11.770 (fixed rate since
1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Maldives Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 21,000 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,290 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: minimal domestic and
international facilities
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all
inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service
international: satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 35,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 10,000 (1999)
Internet country code: .mv
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Maldives Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km; note - Male has 9.6 km of coral highways within the
city (1988 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Gan, Male
Merchant marine: total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
58,604 GRT/81,451 DWT
ships by type: cargo 16, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Maldives Military
Military branches: National Security Service
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 71,856 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
40,006 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Maldives Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Mali
Mali Introduction
Background: The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of
France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after
only a few months, the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by
dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 with a transitional
government, and in 1992 when Mali's first democratic presidential
election was held. Since his reelection in 1997, President KONARE
has continued to push through political and economic reforms and to
fight corruption. In 1999 he indicated he would not run for a third
term.
Mali Geography
Location: Western Africa, southwest of Algeria
Geographic coordinates: 17 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1.24 million sq km
land: 1.22 million sq km
water: 20,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 7,243 km
border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea
858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km,
Senegal 419 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy,
humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand;
savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Senegal River 23 m
highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m
Natural resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone,
uranium, hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are
known but not exploited
Land use: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 67% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 780 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry
seasons; recurring droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear
Test Ban
Geography - note: landlocked
Mali People
Population: 11,008,518 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.2% (male 2,612,215; female 2,583,370)
15-64 years: 49.73% (male 2,610,142; female 2,864,127)
65 years and over: 3.07% (male 158,486; female 180,178) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.97% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 48.79 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 18.71 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 121.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.02 years
male: 45.84 years
female: 48.24 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.81 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.03% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 9,900 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Malian(s)
adjective: Malian
Ethnic groups: Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%,
Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%
Religions: Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%
Languages: French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 31%
male: 39.4%
female: 23.1% (1995 est.)
Mali Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mali
conventional short form: Mali
local long form: Republique de Mali
local short form: Mali
former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Bamako
Administrative divisions: 8 regions (regions, singular - region);
Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou
Independence: 22 September 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 22 September (1960)
Constitution: adopted 12 January 1992
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court (which
was formally established on 9 March 1994); has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Alpha Oumar KONARE
(since 8 June 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Mande SIDIBE (since September
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA May 2002); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Alpha Oumar KONARE reelected president; percent
of vote - Alpha Oumar KONARE 95.9%, Mamadou DIABY 4.1%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (147 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 July and 3 August 1997 (next to be held in
two rounds in 2002); note - much of the opposition boycotted the
election
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
ADEMA 130, PARENA 8, CDS 4, UDD 3, PDP 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA
[Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA, party chairman]; Block of Alternative for
the Renewal of Africa or BARA [Yoro DIAKITE]; Democratic and Social
Convention or CDS [Mamadou Bakary SANGARE, chairman]; Movement for
the Independence, Renaissance and Integration of Africa or MIRIA
[Mohamed Lamine TRAORE, Mouhamedou DICKO]; National Congress for
Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL, chairman]; Party for
Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for
National Renewal or PARENA [Yoro DIAKITE, chairman; Tiebile DRAME,
secretary general]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT [Ali
GNANGADO]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Almamy SYLLA,
chairman]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA
[Mamadou Bamou TOURE, secretary general]; Union of Democratic Forces
for Progress or UFDP [Youssouf TOURE, secretary general]; Union for
Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Patriotic Movement of the
Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement and Fronts of Azawad or MFUA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UN
Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WADB, WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Cheick Oumar DIARRAH
chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael RANNEBERGER
embassy: Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V, Bamako
mailing address: B. P. 34, Bamako
telephone: [223] 22 54 70
FAX: [223] 22 37 12
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Mali Economy
Economy - overview: Mali is among the poorest countries in the
world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert. Economic
activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the
Niger. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the
labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity
is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is heavily
dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world
prices for cotton, its main export. In 1997, the government
continued its successful implementation of an IMF-recommended
structural adjustment program that is helping the economy grow,
diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali's adherence to
economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the African franc in
January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5% average
in 1996-2000. Growth should remain around 5% in 2001-02, and
inflation should stay less than 2%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $9.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $850 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 46%
industry: 21%
services: 33% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.8%
highest 10%: 40.4% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 80% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $730 million
expenditures: $770 million, including capital expenditures of $320
million (1997 est.)
Industries: minor local consumer goods production and food
processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Electricity - production: 445 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44.94%
hydro: 55.06%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 413.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables,
peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: $480 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cotton 50%, gold, livestock (1999 est.)
Exports - partners: Italy 18%, Thailand 15%, Germany 7%, Portugal 4%
(1999)
Imports: $575 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, construction
materials, petroleum, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire 19%, France 19%, Senegal 4%,
Benelux 3% (1999)
Debt - external: $3 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $596.4 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999,
the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Mali Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 23,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,842 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic system poor but
improving; provides only minimal service
domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open wire, and
radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio
relay in progress
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 7 (1998)
Radios: 570,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 45,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ml
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 10,000 (2000)
Mali Transportation
Railways: total: 729 km (linked to Senegal's rail system through
Kayes)
narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 15,100 km
paved: 1,827 km
unpaved: 13,273 km (1996)
Waterways: 1,815 km
Ports and harbors: Koulikoro
Airports: 27 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 20
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.)
Mali Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard,
National Guard, National Police (Surete Nationale)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,284,632 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
1,309,612 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $49 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY96)
Mali Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Malta
Malta Introduction
Background: Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in
1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars
and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964.
A decade later Malta became a republic. Over the last 15 years, the
island has become a major freight transshipment point, financial
center, and tourist destination. It is an official candidate for EU
membership.
Malta Geography
Location: Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south
of Sicily (Italy)
Geographic coordinates: 35 50 N, 14 35 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 316 sq km
land: 316 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of
Gozo)
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 25 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
cliffs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)
Natural resources: limestone, salt, arable land
Land use: arable land: 32%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 61% (2000 est.)
Irrigated land: 11.45 sq km (2000 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water
resources; increasing reliance on desalination
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: the country comprises an archipelago, with only
the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or
Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors; Malta
and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the
continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil
exploration
Malta People
Population: 394,583 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.98% (male 40,791; female 38,062)
15-64 years: 67.49% (male 133,914; female 132,402)
65 years and over: 12.53% (male 20,643; female 28,771) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.74% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 12.75 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.74 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.1 years
male: 75.64 years
female: 80.79 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.52% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Maltese (singular and plural)
adjective: Maltese
Ethnic groups: Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and
Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean
stock)
Religions: Roman Catholic 91%
Languages: Maltese (official), English (official)
Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 88.76%
male: 86.91%
female: 89.55% (1995 census)
Malta Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Malta
conventional short form: Malta
local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta
local short form: Malta
Government type: republic
Capital: Valletta
Administrative divisions: none (administered directly from Valletta)
Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1964)
Constitution: 1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December
1974
Legal system: based on English common law and Roman civil law;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Guido DE MARCO (since 4
April 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 6
September 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence GONZE (since 4 April
1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the
prime minister
elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a
five-year term; election last held NA April 1999 (next to be held by
NA April 2004); following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term; the
deputy prime minister is appointed by the president on the advice of
the prime minister
election results: Guido DE MARCO elected president; percent of
House of Representatives vote - 54%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65
seats; note - additional seats are given to the party with the
largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; members are
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 5 September 1998 (next to be held by September
2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.8%, MLP 46.9%,
AD 1.2%; seats by party - PN 35, MLP 30
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for
both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the
prime minister
Political parties and leaders: Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for
Social Justice or AD [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP
[Alfred SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Edward FENECH ADAMI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
George SALIBA
chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612
FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
George SALIBA
embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana,
Malta VLT 01
mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, Malta, CMR 01
telephone: [356] 235960 through 235965
FAX: [356] 243229
Flag description: two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and
red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the Saint
George Cross, edged in red
Malta Economy
Economy - overview: Major resources are limestone, a favorable
geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces
only about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies,
and has no domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on
foreign trade, manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles),
and tourism. Malta is privatizing state-controlled firms and
liberalizing markets in order to prepare for membership in the
European Union. However, the island is divided politically over the
question of joining the EU. The sizable budget deficit remains a key
concern.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.6 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $14,300 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 25.5%
services: 71.7% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 145,901 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 24%, services 71%, agriculture
5% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.5% (3rd Quarter 2000)
Budget: revenues: $1.6 billion
expenditures: $1.73 billion, including capital expenditures of
$265.4 million (1999)
Industries: tourism; electronics, ship building and repair,
construction; food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing,
tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.65 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.534 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat,
barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk,
poultry, eggs
Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactures
Exports - partners: US 21.4%, France 15.2%, Germany 12.6%, UK 9.3%,
Italy 4.9% (1999)
Imports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, and tobacco
Imports - partners: France 19.1%, Italy 16.7%, UK 10.9%, Germany
10.0%, US 8.5% (1999)
Debt - external: $130 million (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Maltese lira (MTL)
Currency code: MTL
Exchange rates: Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.4370 (January 2001),
0.4376 (2000), 0.3994 (1999), 0.3885 (1998), 0.3857 (1997), 0.3604
(1996)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Malta Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 187,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 17,691 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: automatic system satisfies
normal requirements
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)
Radios: 255,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 6 (2000)
Televisions: 280,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 40,000 (2000)
Malta Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,742 km
paved: 1,677 km
unpaved: 65 km (1997)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Marsaxlokk, Valletta
Merchant marine: total: 1,414 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
28,191,090 GRT/46,773,603 DWT
ships by type: bulk 443, cargo 394, chemical tanker 48, combination
bulk 12, combination ore/oil 14, container 69, liquefied gas 2,
livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 2,
passenger 7, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 296, refrigerated
cargo 37, roll on/roll off 50, short-sea passenger 15, specialized
tanker 3, vehicle carrier 18
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Argentina 1, Bermuda 1, Belgium 1, Bangladesh 2,
Bulgaria 11, China 7, Costa Rica 1, Cuba 2, Cyprus 15, Denmark 1,
Estonia 2, Finland 1, Germany 23, Greece 258, Hong Kong 3, Croatia
9, Hungary 1, India 2, Israel 2, Italy 17, South Korea 1, Lebanon 2,
Latvia 2, Lithuania 1, Monaco 14, Nigeria 1, Netherlands 10, Norway
31, Poland 8, Romania 3, Russia 39, Singapore 6, Spain 3, Sweden 3,
Syria 1, Switzerland 25, UAE 2, Turkey 24, UK 8, Ukraine 9, US 9,
Venezuela 1, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Malta Military
Military branches: Armed Forces (including land forces, an air
squadron, a maritime squadron, and the Revenue Security Corps),
Maltese Police Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 98,953 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
78,783 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $201 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.5% (FY98)
Malta Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for hashish from North
Africa to Western Europe
======================================================================
@Man, Isle of
Man, Isle of Introduction
Background: Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the
13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the
British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost
extinct Manx Celtic language.
Man, Isle of Geography
Location: Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great
Britain and Ireland
Geographic coordinates: 54 15 N, 4 30 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 160 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: cool summers and mild winters; temperate; overcast about
one-third of the time
Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 39% (includes 25% mountain and heathland)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: waste disposal (both household and
industrial); transboundary air pollution
Geography - note: one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the
southwest, and is a bird sanctuary
Man, Isle of People
Population: 73,489 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.51% (male 6,562; female 6,306)
15-64 years: 65.19% (male 24,061; female 23,845)
65 years and over: 17.3% (male 5,076; female 7,639) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.52% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.58 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 11.84 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 5.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.64 years
male: 74.26 years
female: 81.2 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx
Ethnic groups: Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton
Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist,
Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages: English, Manx Gaelic
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Man, Isle of Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man
Dependency status: British crown dependency
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Douglas
Administrative divisions: there are 24 local authorities each with
its own elections
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July
Constitution: unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act,
1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution
Legal system: English common law and Manx statute
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II
(since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His
Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995)
head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December
1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed
by the monarch for a five-year term; the Chief Minister is elected
by the Tynwald; election last held 3 December 1996 (next to be held
NA 2001)
election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the
Tynwald
Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative
Council (a 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the
Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8
others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 21 November 1996 (next to be
held NA November 2001)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - independents 24
Judicial branch: High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by
the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant
governor)
Political parties and leaders: there is no party system; members sit
as independents
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown
dependency)
Flag description: red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria),
in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at
the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides
of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used
Man, Isle of Economy
Economy - overview: Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are
key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering
incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions
to locate on the island has paid off in expanding employment
opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture
and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in
their shares of GDP. Banking and other services now contribute 42%
to GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free
access to EU markets.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 13.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 9%
services: 90% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 36,610 (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%,
manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%,
wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific
services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%,
tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10%
Unemployment rate: 0.6% (August 2000)
Budget: revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY00/01 est.)
Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (FY96/97)
Agriculture - products: cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs,
poultry
Exports: $NA
Exports - commodities: tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef,
lamb
Exports - partners: UK
Imports: $NA
Imports - commodities: timber, fertilizers, fish
Imports - partners: UK
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound
Currency code: GBP
Exchange rates: Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001),
0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403
(1996); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Man, Isle of Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 51,000 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite
earth station, submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK
and satellite) (1999)
Televisions: 27,490 (1999)
Internet country code: .im
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: NA
Man, Isle of Transportation
Railways: total: 68.5 km (43.5 km electrified)
Highways: total: 800 km
paved: 800 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey
Merchant marine: total: 157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
4,917,402 GRT/8,333,858 DWT
ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 13, chemical tanker 11, combination
bulk 3, container 20, liquefied gas 13, petroleum tanker 43,
refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 1,
vehicle carrier 5
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1,
Sweden 1, UK 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Man, Isle of Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Man, Isle of Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands Introduction
Background: After almost four decades under US administration as the
easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands,
the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact
of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US
nuclear testing on some of the islands between 1947 and 1962.
Marshall Islands Geography
Location: Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Papua New Guinea
Geographic coordinates: 9 00 N, 168 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 181.3 sq km
land: 181.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, and Kwajalein
Area - comparative: about the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 370.4 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands
border typhoon belt
Terrain: low coral limestone and sand islands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
Natural resources: phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed
minerals
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 60%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 40%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and
1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites;
Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US
missile test range
Marshall Islands People
Population: 70,822 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 49.29% (male 17,808; female 17,101)
15-64 years: 48.61% (male 17,573; female 16,853)
65 years and over: 2.1% (male 707; female 780) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.88% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 45.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.23 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 39.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.84 years
male: 64.04 years
female: 67.73 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.55 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese
Ethnic groups: Micronesian
Religions: Christian (mostly Protestant)
Languages: English (universally spoken and is the official
language), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian
family, Japanese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 100%
female: 88% (1980 est.)
Marshall Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall
Islands
conventional short form: Marshall Islands
former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands)
Government type: constitutional government in free association with
the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21
October 1986
Capital: Majuro
Administrative divisions: 33 municipalities; Ailinginae,
Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon,
Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib,
Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap,
Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje
Independence: 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN
trusteeship)
National holiday: Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)
Constitution: 1 May 1979
Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the
legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since
3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members
of Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own
members for a four-year term; election last held 15 November 1999
(next to be held NA November 2003)
election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of
Parliament vote - 100%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November
2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA
note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on
matters affecting customary law and practice
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Court
Political parties and leaders: traditionally there have been no
formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely
resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party
headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following
two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent
years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP
[Litokwa TOMEING]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Banny DE BRUM
chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236
consulate(s) general: Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Joan M. PLAISTED
embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro
mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall
Islands 96960-1379
telephone: [692] 247-4011
FAX: [692] 247-4012
Flag description: blue with two stripes radiating from the lower
hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star
with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the
two stripes
Marshall Islands Economy
Economy - overview: US Government assistance is the mainstay of this
tiny island economy. Agricultural production is concentrated on
small farms, and the most important commercial crops are coconuts,
tomatoes, melons, and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to
handicrafts, fish processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a
small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the
labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The
islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports.
Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US provides
roughly $65 million in annual aid. Negotiations were underway in
1999 for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a
drop in construction, and the decline in tourism and foreign
investment due to the Asian financial difficulties caused GDP to
fall in 1996-98.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $105 million (1998 est.),
supplemented by approximately $65 million annual US aid
GDP - real growth rate: -5% (1998 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,670 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%
industry: 13%
services: 72% (1995)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1997)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 16% (1991 est.)
Budget: revenues: $80.1 million
expenditures: $77.4 million, including capital expenditures of
$19.5 million (FY95/96 est.)
Industries: copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and
pearls, offshore banking (embryonic)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Agriculture - products: coconuts, tomatoes, melons, cacao, taro,
breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens
Exports: $28 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Exports - commodities: fish, coconut oil, trochus shells
Exports - partners: US, Japan, Australia
Imports: $58 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels,
beverages and tobacco
Imports - partners: US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Guam, Singapore
Debt - external: $125 million (FY96/97 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: approximately $65 million annually from
the US
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Marshall Islands Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 365 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: telex services
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have
regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands
interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for
government purposes)
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific
Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 3 (of which two are US military
stations) (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .mh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Marshall Islands Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise
stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Majuro
Merchant marine: total: 212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
9,768,406 GRT/16,242,699 DWT
ships by type: bulk 63, cargo 9, chemical tanker 10, combination
ore/oil 2, container 29, liquefied gas 10, multi-functional
large-load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 87, vehicle carrier 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Cyprus 1, Germany 1, Japan 1, US 6 (2000 est.)
Airports: 16 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Marshall Islands Military
Military branches: no regular military forces (a coast guard may be
established); Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Marshall Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims US territory of Wake Island
======================================================================
@Martinique
Martinique Introduction
Background: Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently
remained a French possession except for three brief periods of
foreign occupation.
Martinique Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad
and Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 61 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 1,100 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km
water: 40 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than six times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 350 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to
October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every
eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid
Terrain: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m
Natural resources: coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land
Land use: arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 8%
permanent pastures: 17%
forests and woodland: 44%
other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an
average of one major natural disaster every five years)
Environment - current issues: NA
Martinique People
Population: 418,454 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.1% (male 49,016; female 47,653)
15-64 years: 66.77% (male 139,106; female 140,291)
65 years and over: 10.13% (male 18,893; female 23,495) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.93% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 15.76 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.39 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.41 years
male: 79.11 years
female: 77.69 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural)
adjective: Martiniquais
Ethnic groups: African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white
5%, East Indian, Chinese less than 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%
Languages: French, Creole patois
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 92%
female: 93% (1982 est.)
Martinique Government
Country name: conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique
local long form: Departement de la Martinique
local short form: Martinique
Dependency status: overseas department of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Fort-de-France
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of
France (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA)
head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE
(since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Alfred
MARIE-JEANNE (since NA March 1998)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the
General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those
councils
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General
(45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms) and a unicameral Regional Assembly or Conseil Regional (41
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be
held NA 2006); Regional Assembly - last held on 15 March 1998 (next
to be held by March 2004)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA; note - the PPM won a plurality; Regional
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR-UDF
14, MIM 13, PPM 7, left parties 4, PMS 3
note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections
last held NA September 1998 (next to be held September 2001);
results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPM 2;
Martinique also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly;
elections last held 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1,
independent 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders: Martinique Independence Movement or
MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM
[Camille DARSIERES]; Martinique Socialist Party or PMS [Ernest
WAN-AJOUHU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Union
for French Democracy or UDF (replaced by Martinique Forces of
Progress) [Jean MAREN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Association for the
Protection of Martinique's Heritage (ecologist) [Garcin MALSA];
Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for
Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle;
League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP;
Socialist Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]
International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of
France)
Flag description: a light blue background is divided into four
quadrants by a white cross; in the center of each rectangle is a
white snake; the flag of France is used for official occasions
Martinique Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas,
tourism, and light industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of
GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has
declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of
rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk
of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements must be imported,
contributing to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual
transfers of aid from France. Tourism has become more important than
agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange. The majority
of the work force is employed in the service sector and in
administration.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.39 billion (1997 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,000 (1997 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6%
industry: 11%
services: 83% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1990)
Labor force: 170,000 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 10%, industry 17%, services
73% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 27.2% (1998)
Budget: revenues: $900 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $140
million (1996)
Industries: construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.1 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.023 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers,
vegetables, sugarcane
Exports: $250 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: refined petroleum products, bananas, rum,
pineapples
Exports - partners: France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (1997)
Imports: $2 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs,
construction materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods
Imports - partners: France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%,
US 3% (1997)
Debt - external: $180 million (1994)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual aid from
France
Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Currency code: FRF; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Martinique Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 170,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 15,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic facilities are
adequate
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and
Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 82,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 66,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mq
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
Martinique Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,105 km (2000)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Fort-de-France, La Trinite
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Martinique Military
Military branches: French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Martinique Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound
for the US and Europe
======================================================================
@Mauritania
Mauritania Introduction
Background: Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the
southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in
1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the
Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory.
Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in
1991. Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely
seen as being flawed; Mauritania remains, in reality, a one-party
state. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions between
its black minority population and the dominant Maur (Arab-Berber)
populace.
Mauritania Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Senegal and Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km
water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than three times the size of New
Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 5,074 km
border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km,
Western Sahara 1,561 km
Coastline: 754 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Terrain: mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m
highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m
Natural resources: iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate,
diamonds, gold
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 38%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 58% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 490 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows
primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: overgrazing, deforestation, and soil
erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification;
very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal
which is the only perennial river
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: most of the population concentrated in the cities
of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the
southern part of the country
Mauritania People
Population: 2,747,312 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.14% (male 634,940; female 632,654)
15-64 years: 51.59% (male 698,433; female 718,883)
65 years and over: 2.27% (male 25,840; female 36,562) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.93% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 42.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 76.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.14 years
male: 49.06 years
female: 53.29 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.22 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.8% (2000 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,600 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 610 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian
Ethnic groups: mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%
Religions: Muslim 100%
Languages: Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof
(official), French
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 46.7%
male: 53.4%
female: 40% (1998 est.)
Mauritania Government
Country name: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
conventional short form: Mauritania
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
local short form: Muritaniyah
Government type: republic
Capital: Nouakchott
Administrative divisions: 12 regions (regions, singular - region)
and 1 capital district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou,
Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri,
Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza
Independence: 28 November 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Constitution: 12 July 1991
Legal system: a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French
civil law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Col. Maaouya Ould Sid
Ahmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984)
head of government: Prime Minister Cheik El Avia Ould Mohamed
KHOUNA (since 17 November 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held NA December
2003); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Col. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA
reelected with 90.9% of the vote
Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or
Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 17 up for election every two years;
members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and
the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (79 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 17 April 1998 (next to be held NA
2001); National Assembly - last held 11 and 18 October 1996 (next to
be held NA 2001)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PRDS 71, AC 1, independents and other 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals;
lower courts
Political parties and leaders: Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould
BOULKHEIR]; Assembly for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI
BABA]; Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party)
[President Col. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for
Renewal and Concorde or PMRC [Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National
Union for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party
for Liberty, Equality and Justice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA];
Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress
Alliance or APP [Mohamed El Hafed Ould ISMAEL]; Popular Social and
Democratic Union or UPSD [Mohamed Mahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force
Union or UFP [Mohamed Ould MOLOUD]; Union for Progress and Democracy
or UNDD [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]
note: parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991;
however, politics continue to be tribally based
Political pressure groups and leaders: Arab nationalists;
Ba'athists; General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM
[Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent
Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE];
Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould
BRAHIM, secretary general]
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT (associate),
ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending
member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ahmed Ben Khalifa BEN JIDOU
chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John W. LIMBERT
embassy: Rue Abdallaye, Nouakchott
mailing address: B. P. 222, Nouakchott
telephone: [222] 25-26-60, 25-26-63
FAX: [222] 25-15-92
Flag description: green with a yellow five-pointed star above a
yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is
down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of
Islam
Mauritania Economy
Economy - overview: A majority of the population still depends on
agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of the
nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by
recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive
deposits of iron ore, which account for half of total exports. The
decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks
in production. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest
fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners
threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater
port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and
economic mismanagement have resulted in a buildup of foreign debt.
In March 1999, the government signed an agreement with a joint World
Bank-IMF mission on a $54 million enhanced structural adjustment
facility (ESAF). Mauritania withdrew its membership in the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2000. Privatization and
debt relief are in full swing, and the rate of economic growth
appears to be accelerating, especially in the construction,
telecommunication, and information sectors. Diamonds and petroleum
are beginning to be explored and exploited.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25%
industry: 31%
services: 44% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 50% (1996 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.3%
highest 10%: 29.9% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 750,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 47%, services 39%, industry
14%
Unemployment rate: 23% (1995 est.)
Budget: revenues: $329 million
expenditures: $265 million, including capital expenditures of $75
million (1996 est.)
Industries: fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (1999)
Electricity - production: 151 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 82.78%
hydro: 17.22%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 140.4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates;
cattle, sheep
Exports: $333 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners: Japan 18%, France 17%, Italy 16%, Spain 11%
(1998)
Imports: $305 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products,
capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners: France 27%, Benelux 9%, Germany 7%, Spain 7%
(1998)
Debt - external: $2.1 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $300 million (1998)
Currency: ouguiya (MRO)
Currency code: MRO
Exchange rates: ouguiyas per US dollar - 250.870 (December 2000),
238.923 (2000), 209.514 (1999), 188.476 (1998), 151.853 (1997),
137.222 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Mauritania Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 26,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: limited system of cable and
open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and
radiotelephone communications stations (improvements being made)
domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed
domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with
regional capitals
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 360,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 87,000 (1998)
Internet country code: .mr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000)
Internet users: 3,500 (2000)
Mauritania Transportation
Railways: total: 750 km (single track); note - owned and operated
by government mining company
standard gauge: 750 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)
Highways: total: 7,660 km
paved: 866 km
unpaved: 6,794 km (1996)
Waterways: note: ferry traffic on the Senegal River
Ports and harbors: Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 26 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Mauritania Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie,
National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 624,375 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
302,699 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $41 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (FY97/98)
Mauritania Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Mauritius
Mauritius Introduction
Background: Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was
subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before
independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular
free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has
attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of
Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and
declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth leading to some
protests over standards of living in the Creole community.
Mauritius Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of
Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 20 17 S, 57 33 E
Map references: World
Area: total: 1,860 sq km
land: 1,850 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint
Brandon), and Rodrigues
Area - comparative: almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 177 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry
winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Natural resources: arable land, fish
Land use: arable land: 49%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 170 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely
surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Environment - current issues: water pollution, degradation of coral
reefs
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Mauritius People
Population: 1,189,825 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.53% (male 153,691; female 150,094)
15-64 years: 68.24% (male 404,940; female 407,056)
65 years and over: 6.23% (male 29,588; female 44,456) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.88% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 16.5 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.25 years
male: 67.26 years
female: 75.31 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.08% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian
Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%,
Franco-Mauritian 2%
Religions: Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%,
Protestant 2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
Languages: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka,
Bojpoori
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.9%
male: 87.1%
female: 78.8% (1995 est.)
Mauritius Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Port Louis
Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega
Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port,
Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du
Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of
English common law in certain areas
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Cassam UTEEM (since 1
July 1992) and Vice President Angidi Verriah CHETTIAR (since 28 June
1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 17
September 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 17
September 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 28 June 1997 (next
to be held NA 2002); prime minister and deputy prime minister
appointed by the president and are responsible to the National
Assembly
election results: Cassam UTEEM reelected president and Angidi
Verriah CHETTIAR elected vice president; percent of vote by the
National Assembly - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (66 seats - 62
elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the election commission from
the losing political parties to give representation to various
ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held by
September 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%,
MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6,
OPR 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH];
Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian
Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM;
Mauritian Militant Renaissance or MMR [Dr. Paramhansa NABABSING];
Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL];
Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH] -
governing party; Rodrigues Movement or OPR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von
MALLY]
Political pressure groups and leaders: various labor unions
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC,
ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary),
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Usha JEETAH
chancery: Suite 441, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mark W. ERWIN
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US
mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington,
DC 20521-2450
telephone: [230] 208-2347, 208-2354, 208-9763 through 9767
FAX: [230] 208-9534
Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue,
yellow, and green
Mauritius Economy
Economy - overview: Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has
developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a
middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial,
financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual
growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable
achievement has been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered
infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is
grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25%
of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on
foreign investment. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore
entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and
investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion.
Economic performance since 1991 has continued strong with solid
growth and low unemployment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10%
industry: 29%
services: 61% (1996)
Population below poverty line: 10.6% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 514,000 (1995)
Labor force - by occupation: construction and industry 36%, services
24%, agriculture and fishing 14%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%,
transportation and communication 7%, finance 3% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 6.4% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles,
clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment,
nonelectrical machinery; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 1.26 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 91.27%
hydro: 8.73%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 1.172 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas,
pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers,
molasses
Exports - partners: UK 32%, France 19%, US 15%, Germany 6%, Italy 4%
(1999 est.)
Imports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, capital equipment,
foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals (1996)
Imports - partners: France 14%, South Africa 11%, India 8%, UK 5%
(1999 est.)
Debt - external: $1.9 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $42 million (1997)
Currency: Mauritian rupee (MUR)
Currency code: MUR
Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.900 (January
2001), 26.250 (2000), 25.186 (1999), 22.993 (1998), 21.057 (1997),
17.948 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Mauritius Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 223,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 37,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);
new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several
countries
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 420,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 258,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 55,000 (2000)
Mauritius Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,910 km
paved: 1,834 km (including 36 km of expressways)
unpaved: 76 km (1998)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Port Louis
Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 61,909
GRT/87,313 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, combination bulk 2, container 2, liquefied
gas 1, refrigerated cargo 2
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of
convenience: India 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Mauritius Military
Military branches: National Police Force (includes the paramilitary
Special Mobile Force or SMF and National Coast Guard)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 339,473 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
171,206 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $11 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.3% (FY97/98)
Mauritius Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims the Chagos Archipelago
(UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory); claims
French-administered Tromelin Island
Illicit drugs: minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin
from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed
locally
======================================================================
@Mayotte
Mayotte Introduction
Background: Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other Comoros
in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in
1974 to retain its link with France and forgo independence.
Mayotte Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about
one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 12 50 S, 45 10 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 185.2 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during
northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to
November)
Terrain: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient
volcanic peaks
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: cyclones during rainy season
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands
Mayotte People
Population: 163,366 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.59% (male 38,188; female 37,920)
15-64 years: 51.73% (male 46,132; female 38,378)
65 years and over: 1.68% (male 1,361; female 1,387) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.58% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 44.39 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 8.84 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 10.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 69.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 59.83 years
male: 57.77 years
female: 61.96 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.24 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran
Ethnic groups: NA
Religions: Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
Languages: Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)
spoken by 35% of the population
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Mayotte Government
Country name: conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of
Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte
Dependency status: territorial collectivity of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Mamoutzou
Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of France)
Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France)
National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of
France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Pierre BAYLE
(since 15 July 1998)
head of government: President of the General Council Younoussa
BAMANA (since NA 1977)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; president of the
General Council elected by the members of the General Council for a
six-year term
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General
(19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held 7 October 2000 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA
note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections
last held 24 September 1995 (next to be held 24 September 2001);
results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MPM 1;
Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly;
elections last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held as a
special election on NA May 2002); results - percent of vote by party
- UDF/FD 51.7%, RPR 48.3%; seats by party - UDF/FD 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf
MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Younoussa BAMANA]; Mahoran
Rally for the Republic or RPR [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Movement for
Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Socialist
Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim
ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: FZ
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territorial collectivity
of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territorial
collectivity of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Mayotte Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity is based primarily on the
agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising.
Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of
its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future
development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial
assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote
location is an obstacle to the development of tourism.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $85 million (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $600 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 45% (1997)
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1991 est.)
Industries: newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence),
coffee, copra
Exports: $3.44 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla,
copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon
Exports - partners: France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion
Imports: $141.3 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Imports - commodities: food, machinery and equipment, transportation
equipment, metals, chemicals
Imports - partners: France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (1997)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $107.7 million (1995); note - extensive
French financial assistance
Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Currency code: FRF; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Mayotte Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 9,314 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: small system administered by
French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone
communications to Comoros and other international connections
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 3 (1997)
Televisions: 3,500 (1994)
Internet country code: .yt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: NA
Mayotte Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Dzaoudzi
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Mayotte Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France; small
contingent of French forces stationed on the island
Mayotte Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Comoros
======================================================================
@Mexico
Mexico Introduction
Background: The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico
came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving
independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in
late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst
recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an
impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include
low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the
population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement
opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the
impoverished southern states.
Mexico Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf
of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific
Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Geographic coordinates: 23 00 N, 102 00 W
Map references: North America
Area: total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 4,538 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km
Coastline: 9,330 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: varies from tropical to desert
Terrain: high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
Natural resources: petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc,
natural gas, timber
Land use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 39%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 61,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and
destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on
the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coasts
Environment - current issues: natural fresh water resources scarce
and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and
extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting
rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion;
desertification; serious air pollution in the national capital and
urban centers along US-Mexico border
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location on southern border of US
Mexico People
Population: 101,879,171 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.32% (male 17,312,220; female
16,635,438)
15-64 years: 62.28% (male 30,888,015; female 32,558,359)
65 years and over: 4.4% (male 1,997,219; female 2,487,920) (2001
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 22.77 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.76 years
male: 68.73 years
female: 74.93 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.62 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.29% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 150,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,700 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican
Ethnic groups: mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or
predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional
indigenous languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male: 91.8%
female: 87.4% (1995 est.)
Mexico Government
Country name: conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form: Mexico
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Mexico
Administrative divisions: 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and
1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja
California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua,
Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango,
Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo,
Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga,
Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas,
Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas
Independence: 16 September 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Constitution: 5 February 1917
Legal system: mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law
system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not
enforced)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada
(since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of
attorney general requires consent of the Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2006)
election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent of
vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa
(PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la
Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are
allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal
Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300
members are directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year
terms; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each
party's popular vote, also for three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats
(next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July
2000 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRI 59, PAN 45, PRD 17, PVEM 5, PT 1, PCD 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 211,
PAN 208, PRD 50, PVEM 16, PT 7, PCD 3, PSN 3, PAS 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de
Justicia (judges are appointed by the president with consent of the
Senate)
Political parties and leaders: Convergence for Democracy or CD
[Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI
[Dulce Maria SAURI Riancho]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM
[Jorge GONZALEZ Torres]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe
BRAVO Mena]; Party of the Democratic Center or PCD [Manuel CAMACHO
Solis]; Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Amalia GARCIA
Medina]; Party of the Nationalist Society or PSN [Gustavo RIOJAIS
Santana]; Social Alliance Party or PAS [Jose Antonio CALDERON
Cardoso]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Employers of
the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial
Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM;
Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO;
Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE;
Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES;
National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA;
National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union of Workers or
UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM;
Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC; Roman
Catholic Church
International organization participation: APEC, BCIE, BIS, Caricom
(observer), CCC, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6,
G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM
(observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Juan Jose BREMER Martino
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas,
Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, San
Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico
(California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas
(Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), McAllen (Texas),
Midland (Texas), Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia,
Portland (Oregon), St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San
Jose, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jeffery DAVIDOW
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,
Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087
telephone: [52] (5) 209-9100
FAX: [52] (5) 208-3373, 511-9980
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with
a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band
Mexico Economy
Economy - overview: Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture
of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly
dominated by the private sector. The number of state-owned
enterprises in Mexico has fallen from more than 1,000 in 1982 to
fewer than 200 in 2000. The ZEDILLO administration privatized and
expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications,
electricity, natural gas distribution, and airports. A strong export
sector helped to cushion the economy's decline in 1995 and led the
recovery in 1996-2000. Private consumption became the leading driver
of growth in 2000, accompanied by increased employment and higher
real wages. Mexico still needs to overcome many structural problems
as it strives to modernize its economy and raise living standards.
Income distribution is very unequal, with the top 20% of income
earners accounting for 55% of income. Trade with the US and Canada
has tripled since NAFTA was implemented in 1994. Mexico completed
free trade agreements with the EU, Israel, El Salvador, Honduras,
and Guatemala in 2000, and is pursuing additional trade agreements
with countries in Latin America and Asia to lessen its dependence on
the US.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $915 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7.1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 27%
services: 68% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 27% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.8%
highest 10%: 36.6% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 39.8 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 20%, industry 24%, services
56% (1998)
Unemployment rate: urban - 2.2% (2000); plus considerable
underemployment
Budget: revenues: $125 billion
expenditures: $130 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,
petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer
durables, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 182.492 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 74.12%
hydro: 17.75%
nuclear: 5.21%
other: 2.92% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 170.754 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 11 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 1.047 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton,
coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Exports: $168 billion (f.o.b., 2000), includes in-bond industries
(assembly plant operations)
Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, oil and oil products,
silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners: US 88.6%, Canada 2%, Spain 0.9%, Germany 0.9%,
Japan 0.6%, UK 0.6%, Netherlands Antilles 0.5%, Switzerland 0.3%
Venezuela 0.3%, Chile 0.3% (2000 est.)
Imports: $176 billion (f.o.b., 2000), includes in-bond industries
(assembly plant operations)
Imports - commodities: metal-working machines, steel mill products,
agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for
assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft
parts
Imports - partners: US 73.6%, Japan 3.7%, Germany 3.3%, Canada 2.3%,
South Korea 2%, China 1.6%, Taiwan 1.2%, Italy 1%, Brazil 1% (2000
est.)
Debt - external: $162 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.166 billion (1995)
Currency: Mexican peso (MXN)
Currency code: MXN
Exchange rates: Mexican pesos per US dollar - 9.7701 (January 2001),
9.4556 (2000), 9.5604 (1999), 9.1360 (1998), 7.9185 (1997), 7.5994
(1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Mexico Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 9.6 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.02 million (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: low telephone density with
about 11 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990;
the opening to competition in January 1997 has brightened prospects
for development
domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government,
but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with
120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network;
considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobile
cellular service
international: satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2
Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central
America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic
communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to
Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high
capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the
US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 865, FM about 500, shortwave 13 (1999)
Radios: 31 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 236 (plus repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 25.6 million (1997)
Internet country code: .mx
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 51 (2000)
Internet users: 2.5 million (2000)
Mexico Transportation
Railways: total: 31,048 km
standard gauge: 30,958 km 1.435-m gauge (246 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 90 km 0.914-m gauge (1998 est.)
Highways: total: 323,977 km
paved: 96,221 km (including 6,335 km of expressways)
unpaved: 227,756 km (1997)
Waterways: 2,900 km
note: navigable rivers and coastal canals
Pipelines: crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km;
natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km
Ports and harbors: Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada,
Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso,
Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz
Merchant marine: total: 43 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
590,657 GRT/920,456 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 3,
petroleum tanker 28, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 3 (2000
est.)
Airports: 1,848 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 238
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 90
914 to 1,523 m: 82
under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,610
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 65
914 to 1,523 m: 470
under 914 m: 1,073 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 2 (2000 est.)
Mexico Military
Military branches: National Defense Secretariat (includes Army and
Air Force), Navy Secretariat (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
note: starting in 2000, females will be allowed to volunteer for
military service
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 26,703,300 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
19,394,184 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males:
1,077,536 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY99)
Mexico Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in
2000 - 1,900 hectares; potential heroin production - 2.4 metric
tons) and cannabis cultivation in 2000 - 3,900 hectares; government
eradication efforts have been key in keeping illicit crop levels
low; major supplier of heroin and marijuana to the US market;
continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine
from South America; two major drug syndicates control majority of
drug trafficking throughout the country; primary supplier of
methamphetamine to the US market; growing producer and distributor
of ecstasy
======================================================================
@Micronesia, Federated States of
Micronesia, Federated States of Introduction
Background: In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust
Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986
independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with
the United States. Present concerns include large-scale
unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid.
Micronesia, Federated States of Geography
Location: Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about
three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 15 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 702 sq km
land: 702 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Truk (Chuuk) Islands, Yap Islands,
and Kosrae
Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 6,112 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the
eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with
occasionally severe damage
Terrain: islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to
low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Totolom 791 m
Natural resources: forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Land use: arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons (June to December)
Environment - current issues: overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: four major island groups totaling 607 islands
Micronesia, Federated States of People
Population: 134,597 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Micronesian(s)
adjective: Micronesian; Kosrae(s), Pohnpeian(s), Trukese, Yapese
Ethnic groups: nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups
Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%, other and none 3%
Languages: English (official and common language), Trukese,
Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89%
male: 91%
female: 88% (1980 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of Government
Country name: conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia
conventional short form: none
former: Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts (Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands)
abbreviation: FSM
Government type: constitutional government in free association with
the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3
November 1986
Capital: Palikir
Administrative divisions: 4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae, Pohnpei,
Yap
Independence: 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN
Trusteeship)
National holiday: Constitution Day, 10 May (1979)
Constitution: 10 May 1979
Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the
legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Leo A. FALCAM (since 21
July 1999); Vice President Redley KILLION (since 21 July 1999); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Leo A. FALCAM (since 21 July 1999);
Vice President Redley KILLION (since 21 July 1999); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from
among the four senators-at-large for four-year terms; election last
held NA May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2003)
election results: Leo A. FALCAM elected president; percent of
Congress vote - NA%; Redley KILLION elected vice president; percent
of Congress vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral Congress (14 seats; members elected
by popular vote; four - one elected from each of state - to serve
four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member districts
delineated by population - to serve two-year terms)
elections: elections for four-year term seats last held 2 March
1999 (next to be held NA March 2003); elections for two-year term
seats last held 6 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: no formal parties
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC,
SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jesse Bibiano MAREHALAU
chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383
FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391
consulate(s) general: Honolulu and Tamuning (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Diane E. WATSON
embassy: address NA, Kolonia
mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States
of Micronesia 96941
telephone: [691] 320-2187
FAX: [691] 320-2186
Flag description: light blue with four white five-pointed stars
centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern
Micronesia, Federated States of Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity consists primarily of
subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral
deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The
potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remoteness of the
location and a lack of adequate facilities hinder development. In
1996, the country experienced a 20% reduction in revenues from the
Compact of Free Association - the agreement between the US and
Micronesia in which Micronesia receives $1.3 billion in financial
and technical assistance over a 15-year period until 2001 - as a
result of the second step-down under the agreement. Since these
revenues accounted for 57% of consolidated government revenues,
reduced Compact funding resulted in a severe depression. While
Micronesia's economy appears to have bottomed out in 1999, the
country's medium-term economic outlook remains fragile due to likely
further reductions in external grants made under the US Compact
funding. Geographical isolation and a poorly developed
infrastructure remain major impediments to long-term growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $263 million (1999 est.)
note: GDP is supplemented by grant aid, averaging perhaps $100
million annually
GDP - real growth rate: 0.3% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19%
industry: 4%
services: 77% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (FY98/99)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: two-thirds are government employees
Unemployment rate: 16% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $161 million ($69 million less grants)
expenditures: $160 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: tourism, construction, fish processing, craft items from
shell, wood, and pearls
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: black pepper, tropical fruits and
vegetables, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs,
chickens
Exports: $73 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Exports - commodities: fish, garments, bananas, black pepper
Exports - partners: Japan, US, Guam
Imports: $168 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery and
equipment, beverages
Imports - partners: US, Japan, Australia
Debt - external: $111 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: under terms of the Compact of Free
Association, the US will provide $1.3 billion in grant aid during
the period 1986-2001
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Micronesia, Federated States of Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 11,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used
mostly for government purposes)
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .fm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Micronesia, Federated States of Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 240 km
paved: 42 km
unpaved: 198 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Colonia (Yap), Kolonia (Pohnpei), Lele, Moen
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 7 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of Military
Military - note: Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a
sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the US; FSM
is totally dependent on the US for its defense
Micronesia, Federated States of Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Midway Islands
Midway Islands Introduction
Background: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867.
The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the
islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947,
Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The
US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of
the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve
as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a
wildlife refuge open to the public.
Midway Islands Geography
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third
of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo
Geographic coordinates: 28 13 N, 177 22 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 6.2 sq km
land: 6.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Eastern Island, Sand Island, and Spit Island
Area - comparative: about nine times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 15 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: subtropical, but moderated by prevailing easterly winds
Terrain: low, nearly level
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 13 m
Natural resources: wildlife, terrestrial and aquatic
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife
refuge and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the
form of wildlife observation and photography, sport fishing,
snorkeling, and scuba diving
Midway Islands People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants; approximately 150 people make
up the staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their services
cooperator living at the atoll (July 2001 est.)
Midway Islands Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Midway Islands
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; formerly
administered from Washington, DC, by the US Navy, under Naval
Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific Division; this facility has
been operationally closed since 10 September 1993; on 31 October
1996, through a presidential executive order, the jurisdiction and
control of the atoll was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife
Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National
Wildlife Refuge system
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Midway Islands Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is based on providing support
services for the national wildlife refuge activities located on the
islands. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Midway Islands Transportation
Highways: total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Pipelines: 7.8 km
Ports and harbors: Sand Island
Airports: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Midway Islands Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Midway Islands Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Moldova
Moldova Introduction
Background: Formerly ruled by Romania, Moldova became part of the
Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from
the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan
territory east of the Nistru (Dnister) River supporting the Slavic
majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have
proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. One of the poorest nations in
Europe and plagued by a moribund economy, in 2001 Moldova became the
first former Soviet state to elect a communist as its president.
Moldova Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania
Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 29 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 33,843 sq km
land: 33,371 sq km
water: 472 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 1,389 km
border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: moderate winters, warm summers
Terrain: rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Nistru (Dnister) River 2 m
highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m
Natural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land
Land use: arable land: 53%
permanent crops: 14%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 13%
other: 7% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,110 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: landslides (57 cases in 1998)
Environment - current issues: heavy use of agricultural chemicals,
including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and
groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants
Geography - note: landlocked
Moldova People
Population: 4,431,570 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.44% (male 506,303; female 488,311)
15-64 years: 67.62% (male 1,437,492; female 1,559,090)
65 years and over: 9.94% (male 163,473; female 276,901) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.05% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.35 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 12.6 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 42.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.6 years
male: 60.15 years
female: 69.26 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.67 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan
Ethnic groups: Moldovan/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian
13%, Gagauz 3.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, other 1.7% (1989 est.)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian
region
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist (only about
1,000 members) (1991)
Languages: Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian
language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 99%
female: 94% (1989 est.)
Moldova Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova
local long form: Republica Moldova
local short form: none
former: Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova; Moldavia
Government type: republic
Capital: Chisinau
Administrative divisions: 10 juletule (singular - juletul), 1
municipality*, and 1 autonomous territorial unit**; Balti, Cahul,
Chisinau, Chisinau*, Dubasari, Edinet, Gagauzia**, Lapusna, Orhei,
Soroca, Tighina, Ungheni
Independence: 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 August (1991)
Constitution: new constitution adopted 28 July 1994; replaces old
Soviet constitution of 1979
Legal system: based on civil law system; Constitutional Court
reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of
resolution; it is unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction but accepts many UN and Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since
4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April
2001), three Deputy Prime Ministers: Valerian CRISTEA, Andrei CUCU,
and Dmitri TODOROGLO (all since 19 April 2001)
cabinet: selected by prime minister, subject to approval of
Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 4 April 2001; presidential elections were
scheduled for December 2000, but in July 2000, Parliament canceled
direct popular elections; Parliament's failure to chose a new
president in December 2000 led to early parliamentary elections
(moved up a year to February 2001); according to the Moldovan
constitution, the president, on consulting with Parliament, will
designate a candidate for the office of prime minister; within 15
days from designation, the prime minister-designate will request a
vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work
program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated on 15 April
2001, cabinet received vote of confidence on 19 April 2001
election results: Vladimir VORONIN elected president; parliamentary
votes - Vladimir VORONIN 71, Dumitru BRAGHIS 15, Valerian CHRISTEA
3; Vasile TARLEV elected Prime Minister; parliamentary votes of
confidence - 75 of 101
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats;
parties and electoral blocs, as well as independent candidates,
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 February 2001 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - PCM 50.1%, Braghis
Alliance 13.4%, PPCD 8.2%, other parties 28.3%; seats by party - PCM
71, Braghis Alliance 19, PPCD 11
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole
authority for constitutional judicature)
Political parties and leaders: Braghis Alliance [Dumitru BRAGHIS];
Popular Christian Democratic Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]; Communist
Party or PCM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE,
CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ceslav CIOBANU
chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130
FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Rudolf Vilem PERINA
embassy: Strada Alexei Mateevicie, #103, Chisinau 2009
mailing address: use embassy street address; pouch address -
American Embassy Chisinau, Department of State, Washington, DC
20521-7080
telephone: [373] (2) 23-37-72
FAX: [373] (2) 23-30-44
Flag description: same color scheme as Romania - three equal
vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in
center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a
red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green
olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left
talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue
with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in
black-outlined yellow
Moldova Economy
Economy - overview: Moldova enjoys a favorable climate and good
farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy
depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine,
and tobacco. Moldova must import all of its supplies of oil, coal,
and natural gas, largely from Russia. Energy shortages contributed
to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union
in 1991. As part of an ambitious reform effort, Moldova introduced a
convertible currency, freed all prices, stopped issuing preferential
credits to state enterprises, backed steady land privatization,
removed export controls, and freed interest rates. Yet these efforts
could not offset the impact of political and economic difficulties,
both internal and regional. In 1998, the economic troubles of
Russia, by far Moldova's leading trade partner, were a major cause
of the 8.6% drop in GDP. In 1999, GDP fell again, by 4.4%, the fifth
drop in the past seven years; exports were down, and energy supplies
continued to be erratic. GDP declined slightly in 2000, with a
serious drought hurting agriculture. Growth should turn positive in
2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 31%
industry: 35%
services: 34% (1998)
Population below poverty line: 75% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.7%
highest 10%: 25.8% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 32% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.7 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 40%, industry 14%, other
46% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 1.9% (includes only officially registered
unemployed; large numbers of underemployed workers) (November 2000)
Budget: revenues: $536 million
expenditures: $594 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: food processing, agricultural machinery, foundry
equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, hosiery,
sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 4.155 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.62%
hydro: 6.38%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 5.78 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 1.916 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar
beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk
Exports: $500 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: foodstuffs 57%, wine, tobacco; textiles and
footwear, machinery (1999)
Exports - partners: Russia 41%, Romania 9%, Germany 8%, Ukraine 7%,
Italy, Belarus (1999)
Imports: $761 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: mineral products and fuel 38%, machinery and
equipment, chemicals, textiles (1999)
Imports - partners: Russia 21%, Romania 16%, Ukraine 14%, Germany
12%, Italy 6%, Belarus (1999)
Debt - external: $900 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $100.8 million (1995); note - $547 million
from the IMF and World Bank (1992-99)
Currency: Moldovan leu (MDL)
Currency code: MDL
Exchange rates: lei per US dollar - 12.3728 (January 2001), 12.4342
(2000), 10.5158 (1999), 5.3707 (1998), 4.6236 (1997), 4.6045 (1996);
note - lei is the plural form of leu
Fiscal year: calendar year
Moldova Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 627,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,200 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor
service outside Chisinau, some effort to modernize is under way
domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile
cellular telephone service being introduced
international: service through Romania and Russia via landline;
satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 3.22 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 1.26 million (1997)
Internet country code: .md
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (1999)
Internet users: 15,000 (2000)
Moldova Transportation
Railways: total: 1,328 km
broad gauge: 1,328 km 1.520-m gauge (1992)
Highways: total: 20,000 km
paved: 13,900 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and
include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are
surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them
trafficable in all weather)
unpaved: 6,100 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and
are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Waterways: 424 km (1994)
Pipelines: natural gas 310 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 30 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 14 (2000 est.)
Moldova Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,164,018 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
921,210 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 42,268
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $6 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY99)
Moldova Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: separatist Transnistria region, comprising
the area between the Nistru (Dniester) River and Ukraine, has its
own de facto government, dominated by Moldovan Slavs
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis,
mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs
from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and
possibly the US
======================================================================
@Monaco
Monaco Introduction
Background: Economic development was spurred in the late 19th
century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a
casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid
scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a
tourist and recreation center.
Monaco Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the
southern coast of France, near the border with Italy
Geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 24 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about three times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 km
Coastline: 4.1 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers
Terrain: hilly, rugged, rocky
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (urban area)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: second smallest independent state in the world
(after Holy See); almost entirely urban
Monaco People
Population: 31,842 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.32% (male 2,503; female 2,375)
15-64 years: 62.23% (male 9,731; female 10,083)
65 years and over: 22.45% (male 2,921; female 4,229) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.46% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 7.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.98 years
male: 75.04 years
female: 83.12 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan
Ethnic groups: French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21%
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%
Languages: French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Monaco Government
Country name: conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco
local long form: Principaute de Monaco
local short form: Monaco
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Monaco
Administrative divisions: none; there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La
Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo
Independence: 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi)
National holiday: National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19
November
Constitution: 17 December 1962
Legal system: based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Prince RAINIER III (since 9 May
1949); Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT Alexandre Louis Pierre, son of
the monarch (born 14 March 1958)
head of government: Minister of State Patrick LECLERQUE (since 5
January 2000)
cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; minister of state
appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national
candidates presented by the French Government
Legislative branch: unicameral National Council or Conseil National
(18 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 1 and 8 February 1998 (next to be held NA
January 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UND 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed
by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council)
Political parties and leaders: National and Democratic Union or UND
[leader NA]; National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM [leader
NA]; Rally for the Monegasque Family [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ECE, IAEA, ICAO,
ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW,
OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Monaco does not have an embassy
in the US
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) is
accredited to Monaco
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white;
similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of
Poland which is white (top) and red
Monaco Economy
Economy - overview: Monaco, situated on the French Mediterranean
coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and
pleasant climate. The Principality has successfully sought to
diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting
industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and
thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established
residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and
offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors,
including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service.
Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous
French metropolitan areas. Monaco does not publish national income
figures; the estimates below are extremely rough.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $870 million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $27,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 30,540 (January 1994)
Unemployment rate: 3.1% (1998)
Budget: revenues: $518 million
expenditures: $531 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995)
Industries: tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and
consumer products
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France (1999)
Agriculture - products: none
Exports: $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects
and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market
system through customs union with France
Imports: $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects
and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market
system through customs union with France
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Currency code: FRF; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Monaco Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 31,027 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: modern automatic telephone
system
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into
the French communications system
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998)
Radios: 34,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1998)
Televisions: 25,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mc
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Monaco Transportation
Railways: total: 1.7 km
standard gauge: 1.7 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways: total: 50 km
paved: 50 km
unpaved: 0 km (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Monaco
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: linked to airport in Nice, France, by helicopter service
Heliports: 1 (shuttle service between the international airport at
Nice, France, and Monaco's heliport at Fontvieille)
Monaco Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Monaco Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Mongolia
Mongolia Introduction
Background: Long a province of China, Mongolia won its independence
in 1921 with Soviet backing. A communist regime was installed in
1924. During the early 1990s, the ex-communist Mongolian People's
Revolutionary Party (MPRP) gradually yielded its monopoly on power.
In 1996, the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) defeated the MPRP in a
national election. Over the next four years the Coalition
implemented a number of key reforms to modernize the economy and
institutionalize democratic reforms. However, the former communists
were a strong opposition that stalled additional reforms and made
implementation difficult. In 2000, the MPRP won 72 of the 76 seats
in Parliament and completely reshuffled the government. While it
continues many of the reform policies, the MPRP is focusing on
social welfare and public order priorities.
Mongolia Geography
Location: Northern Asia, between China and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 1.565 million sq km
land: 1.565 million sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries: total: 8,161.9 km
border countries: China 4,676.9 km, Russia 3,485 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature
ranges)
Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains
in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m
Natural resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten,
phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver,
iron, phosphate
Land use: arable land: 5.7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 81%
forests and woodland: 11.4%
other: 1.9% (2000 est.)
Irrigated land: 800 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust and snow storms, grassland and forest fires,
drought and "zud", which is a combination of drought followed by
harsh winter conditions
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources
in some areas; policies of the former communist regime promoting
rapid urbanization and industrial growth have raised concerns about
their negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal
in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws
have severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation,
overgrazing, the converting of virgin land to agricultural
production have increased soil erosion from wind and rain;
desertification and mining activities have also had a deleterious
effect on the environment
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and
Russia
Mongolia People
Population: 2,654,999 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.99% (male 445,252; female 430,758)
15-64 years: 63.13% (male 837,771; female 838,384)
65 years and over: 3.88% (male 44,436; female 58,398) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.47% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 21.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 53.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.26 years
male: 62.14 years
female: 66.5 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.39 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian
Ethnic groups: Mongol (predominantly Khalkha) 85%, Turkic (of which
Kazakh is the largest group) 7%, Tungusic 4.6%, other (including
Chinese and Russian) 3.4% (1998)
Religions: Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism 96%, Muslim (primarily in the
southwest), Shamanism, and Christian 4% (1998)
Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 97.5% (2000)
Mongolia Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Mongolia
local long form: none
local short form: Mongol Uls
former: Outer Mongolia
Government type: parliamentary
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag)
and 3 municipalities* (hotuud, singular - hot); Arhangay,
Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan*, Dornod, Dornogovi,
Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Erdenet*, Govi-Altay, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol,
Omnogovi, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs
note: there may be a new province named Gobi-Sumber; further, there
may now be 21 provinces and 1 capital city instead of 18 provinces
and 3 municipalities
Independence: 11 July 1921 (from China)
National holiday: Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921)
Constitution: 12 February 1992
Legal system: blend of Russian, Chinese, Turkish, and Western
systems of law that combines aspects of a parliamentary system with
some aspects of a presidential system; constitution ambiguous on
judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Natsagiyn BAGABANDI
(since 20 June 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 26
July 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the State Great Hural in consultation
with the president
elections: president nominated by parties in the State Great Hural
and elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held
20 May 2001 (next to be held NA May 2005); following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is
usually elected prime minister by the State Great Hural; election
last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Natsagiyn BAGABANDI reelected president; percent
of vote - NA%; Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected prime minister by a vote
in the State Great Hural of 68 to 3
Legislative branch: unicameral State Great Hural (76 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
MPRP 72, other 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's
and provincial courts, but rarely overturns verdicts of lower
courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts for
approval by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Citizens' Will Party or CWP (also
called Civil Will Party) [Sanjaasurengyn OYUN]; Democratic Party or
DP [D. DORLIGAN]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP
[Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR]; Mongolian Democratic New Socialist Party or
MDNSP [B. ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [B.
JARGALSAIHAN]
note: the MPRP is the ruling party
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ARF (dialogue partner),
AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CCC, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jalbuugiyn CHOINHOR
chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117
FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John DINGER
embassy: inner north side of the Big Ring, just west of the Selbe
Gol, Ulaanbaatar
mailing address: United States Embassy in Mongolia, P. O. Box 1021,
Ulaanbaatar 13; PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [976] (11) 329095
FAX: [976] (11) 320776
Flag description: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side),
blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the
national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and
geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the
yin-yang symbol)
Mongolia Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity traditionally has been based
on agriculture and breeding of livestock. Mongolia also has
extensive mineral deposits: copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten,
and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet
assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost
overnight in 1990-91, at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR.
Mongolia was driven into deep recession, which was prolonged by the
Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's (MPRP) reluctance to
undertake serious economic reform. The Democratic Coalition (DC)
government has embraced free-market economics, easing price
controls, liberalizing domestic and international trade, and
attempting to restructure the banking system and the energy sector.
Major domestic privatization programs were undertaken, as well as
the fostering of foreign investment through international tender of
the oil distribution company, a leading cashmere company, and banks.
Reform was held back by the ex-communist MPRP opposition and by the
political instability brought about through four successive
governments under the DC. Economic growth picked up in 1997-99 after
stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural disasters and declines
in world prices of copper and cashmere. In August and September
1999, the economy suffered from a temporary Russian ban on exports
of oil and oil products, and Mongolia remains vulnerable in this
sector. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in 1997.
The international donor community pledged over $300 million per year
at the last Consultative Group Meeting, held in Ulaanbaatar in June
1999. The MPRP government, elected in July 2000, is anxious to
improve the investment climate; it must also deal with a heavy
burden of external debt.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,780 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 36%
industry: 22%
services: 42% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 40% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.9%
highest 10%: 24.5% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.6% (1999)
Labor force: 1.3 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: primarily herding/agricultural
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $262 million
expenditures: $328 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: construction materials, mining (particularly coal and
copper); food and beverages, processing of animal products
Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 2.671 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 2.767 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 80 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 363 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, potatoes, forage crops;
sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses
Exports: $454.3 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: copper, livestock, animal products, cashmere,
wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals
Exports - partners: China 60%, US 20%, Russia 9%, Japan 2% (2000
est.)
Imports: $510.7 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, food
products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials,
sugar, tea
Imports - partners: Russia 33%, China 21%, Japan 12%, South Korea
10%, US 4% (1999)
Debt - external: $760 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $200 million (1998 est.)
Currency: togrog/tugrik (MNT)
Currency code: MNT
Exchange rates: togrogs/tugriks per US dollar - 1,097.00 (December
2000), 1,076.67 (2000), 1,072.37 (1999), 840.83 (1998), 789.99
(1997), 548.40 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Mongolia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 104,100 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 110,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: very low density: about 3.5
telephones for each thousand persons
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean Region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios: 155,900 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus 18 provincial repeaters and
many low powered repeaters) (1999)
Televisions: 168,800 (1999)
Internet country code: .mn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001)
Internet users: between 10,000 and 15,000 (2001)
Mongolia Transportation
Railways: 1,815 km
broad gauge: 1,815 km 1.524-m gauge (2001)
Highways: total: 3,387 km
paved: 1,563 km
unpaved: 1,824 km
note: there are also 45,862 km of rural roads that consist of
rough, unimproved, cross-country tracks (2000)
Waterways: 400 km (1999)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 34 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 26
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Mongolia Military
Military branches: Mongolian Armed Forces (includes General Purpose
Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense Troops); note -
Border Troops are under Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs in
peacetime
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 748,779 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
486,491 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 30,230
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $25.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.3% (FY01)
Mongolia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Montserrat
Montserrat Introduction
Background: Much of this island has been devastated and two-thirds
of the population has fled abroad due to the eruption of the
Soufriere Hills volcano that began on 18 July 1995.
Montserrat Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of
Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 62 12 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 100 sq km
land: 100 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: volcanic islands, mostly mountainous, with small coastal
lowland
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills) 914 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 10%
forests and woodland: 40%
other: 30% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic
eruptions (full-scale eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano
occurred during 1996-97)
Environment - current issues: land erosion occurs on slopes that
have been cleared for cultivation
Montserrat People
Population: 7,574
note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the
resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned
(July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.83% (male 907; female 898)
15-64 years: 64.66% (male 2,341; female 2,556)
65 years and over: 11.51% (male 464; female 408) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 13.39% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 17.43 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 123.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.14 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.03 years
male: 75.95 years
female: 80.22 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Montserratian(s)
adjective: Montserratian
Ethnic groups: black, white
Religions: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal,
Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Languages: English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 97% (1970 est.)
Montserrat Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Plymouth (abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity;
interim government buildings have been built at Brades, in the
Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat)
Administrative divisions: 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges,
Saint Peter's
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in
June (1926)
Constitution: present constitution came into force 19 December 1989
Legal system: English common law and statutory law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor Anthony John ABBOTT (since
NA September 1997)
head of government: Chief Minister David BRANDT (since 22 August
1997)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief
minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the
finance secretary
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the
monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party usually becomes chief minister; note - as a result of the last
election, a coalition party was formed between NPP, NDP, and one of
the independent candidates
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 7
popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 November 1996 (next to be held by NA
November 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PPA 2, MNR 2, NPP 1, independent 2
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint
Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands
and presides over the High Court)
Political parties and leaders: Movement for National Reconstruction
or MNR [Percival Austin BRAMBLE]; National Development Party or NDP
[leader NA]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Reuben T. MEADE];
People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [John A. OSBORNE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Caricom, CDB, ECLAC
(associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, WCL
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in
the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman
standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross
Montserrat Economy
Economy - overview: Severe volcanic activity, which began in July
1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic
eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing
further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000
inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack
of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to
be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the
destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on
developments in relation to the volcano and on public sector
construction activity. The UK committed to a three year $125 million
aid program in 1999 to help reconstruct the economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $31 million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 13.6%
services: 81% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1998)
Labor force: 4,521 (1992); note - recently lowered by flight of
people from volcanic activity
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $31.4 million
expenditures: $31.6 million, including capital expenditures of $8.4
million (1997 est.)
Industries: tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 10 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 9.3 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes,
onions, peppers; livestock products
Exports: $1.5 million (1998)
Exports - commodities: electronic components, plastic bags, apparel,
hot peppers, live plants, cattle
Exports - partners: US, Antigua and Barbuda (1993)
Imports: $26 million (1998)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related
materials
Imports - partners: US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (1993)
Debt - external: $8.9 million (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: $9.8 million (1995); note - about $100
million (1996-98) in reconstruction aid from the UK; Country Policy
Plan (1999) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in
British budgetary assistance
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed
rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Montserrat Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 70 (1994)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 7,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 3,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ms
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 17 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Montserrat Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 269 km
paved: 203 km
unpaved: 66 km (1995)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Plymouth (abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and
ferry landing), Carr's Bay
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Montserrat Military
Military branches: Police Force
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Montserrat Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics
destined for the US and Europe
======================================================================
@Morocco
Morocco Introduction
Background: Morocco's long struggle for independence from France
ended in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier was turned over
to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western
Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of
the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the
1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in
1997.
Morocco Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and
the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 446,550 sq km
land: 446,300 sq km
water: 250 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 2,017.9 km
border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain
(Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline: 1,835 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior
Terrain: northern coast and interior are mountainous with large
areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal
plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m
highest point: Jbel Toubkal 4,165 m
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc,
fish, salt
Land use: arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 47%
forests and woodland: 20%
other: 11% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,580 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: northern mountains geologically unstable and
subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: land degradation/desertification (soil
erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing,
destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw
sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar
Morocco People
Population: 30,645,305 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.39% (male 5,368,784; female 5,170,891)
15-64 years: 60.93% (male 9,270,095; female 9,402,561)
65 years and over: 4.68% (male 646,567; female 786,407) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.71% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 24.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 5.94 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 48.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.43 years
male: 67.2 years
female: 71.76 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.03% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Moroccan(s)
adjective: Moroccan
Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%
Religions: Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the
language of business, government, and diplomacy
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.7%
male: 56.6%
female: 31% (1995 est.)
Morocco Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco
conventional short form: Morocco
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah
local short form: Al Maghrib
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Rabat
Administrative divisions: 37 provinces and 2 wilayas*; Agadir, Al
Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*,
Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Srarhna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira,
Fes, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra,
Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate,
Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan,
Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit
note: three additional provinces of Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab),
Boujdour, and Es Smara as well as parts of Tan-Tan and Laayoune fall
within Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara;
decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature in
March 1997 creating many new provinces/regions; specific details and
scope of the reorganization not yet available
Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France)
National holiday: Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the
throne), 30 July (1999)
Constitution: 10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992, amended (to
create bicameral legislature) September 1996
Legal system: based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law
system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional
Chamber of Supreme Court
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 23 July
1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Abderrahmane YOUSSOUFI (since 14
March 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch following legislative elections
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house
or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by
local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for
nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three
years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats;
members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 15 September 2000
(next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Representatives - last held 14
November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2002)
election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - NA; Chamber of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - USFP 57, UC 50, RNI 46, MP 40,
MDS 32, IP 32, MNP 19, PND 10, MPCD 9, PPS 9, FFD 9, PSD 5, OADP 4,
PA 2, PDI 1
note: CDT, UTM, UGTM, UNMT are all labor unions listed under
Political pressure groups and leaders; see explanation in the
description of Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the
recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided
over by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders: Action Party or PA [Muhammad IDRISS];
Constitutional Union or UC [leader NA]; Democratic Forces Front or
FFD [Thami KHIARI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Issa
OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Party for Independence or PDI [Thami
EL-OUAZZANI, Said BOUACHRINE]; Istiqlal Party or IP [Abbas
El-FASSI]; Labor Party or UT [leader NA]; National Democratic Party
or PND [Mohamed Arsalane EL-JADIDI]; National Popular Movement or
MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE]; National Rally of Independents or RNI
[Ahmed OSMAN]; Organization of Democratic and Popular Action or OADP
[Mohamed BEN SAID ait Idder]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS
[Moulay Ismail ALAOUI]; Popular Constitutional and Democratic
Movement or MPCD (has become Party of Justice and Development or
PJD) [Dr. Abdelkarim KHATIB]; Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed
LAENSER]; Social Democratic Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE];
Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Abd ar-Rahman
EL-YOUSSOUFI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Association of Popular Trade
Unions or ADP [leader NA]; Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT
[Noubir AMAOUI]; Democratic National Trade Union or USND [leader
NA]; Democratic Trade Union or SD [leader NA]; General Union of
Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Labor Union
Commissions or CS [leader NA]; Moroccan National Workers Union or
UNMT [leader NA]; Moroccan Union of Workers or UTM [Mahjoub
BENSEDIQ]; Party of Shura and Istiqla [Abdelwaheb MAASH]
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT (associate),
AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAS
(observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Abdullah MAAROUFI
chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979 through 7982
FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Edward M. GABRIEL
embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat
mailing address: PSC 74, Box 3, APO AE 90718
telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65
FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61
consulate(s) general: Casablanca
Flag description: red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear
star) known as Solomon's seal in the center of the flag; green is
the traditional color of Islam
Morocco Economy
Economy - overview: Morocco faces the problems typical of developing
countries - restraining government spending, reducing constraints on
private activity and foreign trade, and achieving sustainable
economic growth. Following structural adjustment programs supported
by the IMF, World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is now fully
convertible for current account transactions, and reforms of the
financial sector have been implemented. Drought conditions depressed
activity in the key agricultural sector and contributed to a
stagnant economy in 1999 and 2000. During that time, however,
Morocco reported large foreign exchange inflows from the sale of a
mobile telephone license and partial privatization of the
state-owned telecommunications company. Favorable rainfalls have led
Morocco to predict a growth of 1% for 2001. Formidable long-term
challenges include: servicing the external debt; preparing the
economy for freer trade with the EU; and improving education and
attracting foreign investment to boost living standards and job
prospects for Morocco's youthful population.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $105 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%
industry: 33%
services: 52% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 19% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.6%
highest 10%: 30.9% (1998-99)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 11 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, services 35%, industry
15% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 23% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $9.6 billion
expenditures: $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1
billion (2001 est.)
Industries: phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing,
leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 13.695 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.19%
hydro: 10.81%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 13.441 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 705 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables,
olives; livestock
Exports: $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: phosphates and fertilizers, food and
beverages, minerals
Exports - partners: France 35%, Spain 9%, UK 8%, Germany 7%, US 5%
(1999)
Imports: $12.2 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: semiprocessed goods, machinery and equipment,
food and beverages, consumer goods, fuel
Imports - partners: France 32%, Spain 12%, Italy 7%, Germany 6%, UK
6% (1999)
Debt - external: $18.4 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $565.6 million (1995)
Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Currency code: MAD
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 10.590 (January
2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997),
8.716 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Morocco Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.391 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 116,645 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system with all
important capabilities; however density is low with only 4.6 main
lines available for each 100 persons
domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and
microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive;
principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national
network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural
service employs microwave radio relay
international: 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to
Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave
radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable
link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998)
Radios: 6.64 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 3.1 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ma
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 120,000 (1999)
Morocco Transportation
Railways: total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified; 540
km double track)
Highways: total: 57,847 km
paved: 30,254 km (including 327 km of expressways)
unpaved: 27,593 km (1998)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 362 km; petroleum products 491 km (abandoned);
natural gas 241 km
Ports and harbors: Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar,
Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also
Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla
Merchant marine: total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
223,052 GRT/272,786 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 5, petroleum
tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea
passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 69 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 26
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 43
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Morocco Military
Military branches: Royal Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air
Force), Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 8,182,073 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
5,160,374 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 348,380
(2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.4 billion (FY99/00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4% (FY99/00)
Morocco Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims and administers Western Sahara, but
sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a
referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in
effect since September 1991; Spain controls five places of
sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco -
the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which Morocco contests, as
well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la
Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of hashish; trafficking on the
increase for both domestic and international drug markets; shipments
of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for
cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe
======================================================================
@Mozambique
Mozambique Introduction
Background: Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a
close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites,
economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a
prolonged civil war hindered the country's development. The ruling
party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the
following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market
economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement with rebel forces ended the
fighting in 1992.
Mozambique Geography
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between
South Africa and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 S, 35 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 801,590 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km
water: 17,500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries: total: 4,571 km
border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland
105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km
Coastline: 2,470 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical to subtropical
Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus
in northwest, mountains in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m
Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower,
tantalum, graphite
Land use: arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 56%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (2000 est.)
Natural hazards: severe droughts and floods occur in central and
southern provinces; devastating cyclones
Environment - current issues: a long civil war and recurrent drought
in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the
population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental
consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal
waters
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Mozambique People
Population: 19,371,057
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997
Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2001
est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.72% (male 4,124,093; female 4,152,135)
15-64 years: 54.53% (male 5,222,477; female 5,339,615)
65 years and over: 2.75% (male 221,678; female 311,059) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 37.2 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 24.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 139.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 36.45 years
male: 37.25 years
female: 35.62 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.22% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.2 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 98,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican
Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan, Chokwe,
Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans
0.2%, Indians 0.08%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.3%
male: 58.4%
female: 27% (1998 est.)
Mozambique Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique
local long form: Republica de Mocambique
local short form: Mocambique
former: Portuguese East Africa
Government type: republic
Capital: Maputo
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia); Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula,
Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia
Independence: 25 June 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 June (1975)
Constitution: 30 November 1990
Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Joaquim Alberto
CHISSANO (since 6 November 1986); note - before being popularly
elected, CHISSANO was elected president by Frelimo's Central
Committee 4 November 1986 (reelected by the Committee 30 July 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Pascoal MOCUMBI (since NA
December 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 3-5 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO reelected president;
percent of vote - Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO 52.29%, Afonso DHLAKAMA
47.71%
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or
Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by
popular vote on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3-5 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 48.54%,
Renamo-UE 38.81%; seats by party - Frelimo 133, Renamo-UE 117
note: Renamo-UE ran as a multiparty coalition; none of the other
opposition parties received the 5% required to win parliamentary
seats
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of
its professional judges are appointed by the president and some are
elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative
Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts
note: although the constitution provides for the creation of a
separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in
its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases
Political parties and leaders: Front for the Liberation of
Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or Frelimo [Joaquim
Alberto CHISSANO, chairman]; Mozambique National Resistance -
Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana - Uniao Eleitoral)
or Renamo-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Marcos Geraldo NAMASHULUA
chancery: Suite 570, 1990 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146
FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Sharon P. WILKINSON
embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo
mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo
telephone: [258] (1) 492797
FAX: [258] (1) 490114
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist
side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is
a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black
superimposed on an open white book
Mozambique Economy
Economy - overview: Before the peace accord of October 1992,
Mozambique's economy was devastated by a protracted civil war and
socialist mismanagement. In 1994, it ranked as one of the poorest
countries in the world. Since then, Mozambique has undertaken a
series of economic reforms. Almost all aspects of the economy have
been liberalized to some extent. More than 900 state enterprises
have been privatized. A value-added tax, introduced in 1999,
launched the government's comprehensive tax reform program. Pending
are much needed commercial code reform and greater private sector
involvement in the transportation, telecommunications, and energy
sectors. Since 1996, inflation has been low and foreign exchange
rates relatively stable. Albeit from a small base, Mozambique's
economy grew at an annual 10% rate in 1997-99, one of the highest
growth rates in the world. Growth slowed and inflation rose in 2000
due to devastating flooding in the early part of the year. Both
indicators should recover in 2001. The country depends on foreign
assistance to balance the budget and to pay for a trade imbalance in
which imports greatly outnumber exports. The trade situation should
improve in the medium term, however, as trade and transportation
links to South Africa and the rest of the region have been improved
and sizeable foreign investments are beginning to materialize. Among
these investments are metal production (aluminum, steel), natural
gas, power generation, agriculture, fishing, timber, and
transportation services. Mozambique has received a formal
cancellation of a large portion of its external debt through an IMF
initiative and is scheduled to receive additional relief.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $19.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 44%
industry: 19%
services: 37% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 70% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.5%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1996-97)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 7.4 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 81%, industry 6%, services
13% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $466.9 million
expenditures: $1.004 billion, including capital expenditures of
$502.5 million (2000 est.)
Industries: food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints),
petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: 7.2% (1999)
Electricity - production: 2.3 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 13.04%
hydro: 86.96%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 307 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 1.9 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 68 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava
(tapioca), corn, rice, coconuts, sisal, tropical fruits; beef,
poultry
Exports: $390 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: prawns 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus,
timber; bulk electricity (2000)
Exports - partners: EU 27%, South Africa 26%, Zimbabwe 15%, India
12%, US 5%, Japan 4% (1999 est.)
Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, mineral products,
chemicals, metals, foodstuffs, textiles (2000)
Imports - partners: South Africa 44%, EU 16%, US 6.5%, Japan 6.5%,
Pakistan 3%, India 3% (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $1.4 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.04 billion (1998)
Currency: metical (MZM)
Currency code: MZM
Exchange rates: meticais per US dollar - 17,331.0 (January 2001),
5,199.8 (2000), 12,775.1 (1999), 11,874.6 (1998), 11.543.6 (1997),
11,293.8 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Mozambique Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 65,354 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 18,500 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system but not available
generally (telephone density is only 3.5 telephones for each 1,000
persons)
domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk
connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic
Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 16, shortwave 12 (2000)
Radios: 730,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000)
Televisions: 67,600 (2000)
Internet country code: .mz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 6,250
note: 150 corporate accounts and 6,100 individual accounts (2000)
Mozambique Transportation
Railways: total: 3,131 km
narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)
Highways: total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km
unpaved: 24,715 km (1996)
Waterways: 3,750 km (navigable routes)
Pipelines: crude oil 306 km; petroleum products 289 km
note: not operating
Ports and harbors: Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,125
GRT/7,024 DWT
ships by type: cargo 3 (2000 est.)
Airports: 168 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 22
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 146
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 37
under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)
Mozambique Military
Military branches: Army, Naval Command, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Militia
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,627,052 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,670,933 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $35.1 million (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2000 est.)
Mozambique Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: Southern African transit point for South Asian
hashish, South Asian heroin, and South American cocaine probably
destined for the European and South African markets; producer of
cannabis (for local consumption) and methaqualone (for export to
South Africa)
======================================================================
@Namibia
Namibia Introduction
Background: South Africa occupied the German colony of Sud-West
Afrika during World War I and administered it as a mandate until
after World War II when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the
Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla
group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon
named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to
end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the
entire region. Independence came in 1990.
Namibia Geography
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,
between Angola and South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 17 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 825,418 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Land boundaries: total: 3,824 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa
855 km, Zambia 233 km
Coastline: 1,572 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
Desert in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin,
lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
Land use: arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: prolonged periods of drought
Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water
resources; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Marine
Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Namibia People
Population: 1,797,677
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.74% (male 389,028; female 379,229)
15-64 years: 53.54% (male 480,075; female 482,375)
65 years and over: 3.72% (male 29,109; female 37,861) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.38% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 34.71 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 20.9 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 71.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birt